Crayons For The Associate, Sir?
by Phoenix on cloud nine
Summary: Harvey wasn't sure if he'd ever had to think to bring toys to keep his associate quiet in a meeting.
1. Chapter 1

**If you HAVEN'T read my story 'To Whom It May Concern' (Chapter 12) that this is based on, don't worry - it's still going to make sense. Well... as much sense as it can make seeing as it's a kidifc...**

**Anyways, yes - behold the adorableness :3 And I've written a few of these types of fics before, and the explanations of how it happened never made any sense. So don't expect this one to :P**

**There will be multiple mentions throughout of my wife-to-be, _signofthetimes _seeing as she is granting me all of her knowledge on children seeing as I've never been around one apart from my siblings when they were small ;) So, yes - thank you again!**

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><p>Harvey was beginning to regret bringing his associate along on his latest case. He thought that Mike could be useful; maybe try and - he shuddered to even think it - <em>connect <em>with their client. The poor woman had terrible luck, Harvey had to give her that. Her science firm was being sued, and Jessica wanted Harvey to handle it personally. They wanted her to settle, and although Harvey had tried before to get her to agree she refused. So Jessica stepped in.

"Harvey, Anna Green is a brilliant mind, but troubled. She feels she's being attacked from all sides; her son just died and she feels threatened and lonely. Take the kid," she had told him, a smirk on her face. "See if he can get through to her. People like him."

Harvey snorted but had to hand it to Mike, who was at that moment charming the woman by pouring her some tea and talking animatedly with a smile on his face; he _did _know how to charm clients. Especially middle-aged women whose sons had died and had the same eyes as Mike.

"Dr Green, I can't even imagine what it's like for you - "

"Anna, please."

"Anna - I know it must be hard, but if you go to court, I don't think there's any way you can win this case. If you settle, you'll only lose some of the money your son worked so hard to gain. If you go to court, you'll maybe lose it all."

The woman leant over and squeezed his hand, smiling; albeit with tears in her eyes. "You're right," she told him, looking over at Harvey. "I'll settle," she said in a small voice. Harvey raised his eyebrows and looked at Mike, who looked as though he wanted to break out into a dance or at least jump up and pump his fist in the air in victory. The woman looked back at Mike. "I'm glad I have honest lawyers," she said to him, smiling fondly. "And you are doing this because it's in my best interest, isn't it?"

"Yes, Dr Gr - Anna. I don't want you to lose anything more than you have to," Mike told her, smiling back. He sat back as she signed the papers Harvey offered her. He felt flushed with his success - Louis had said just as they were leaving that he doubted 'the boy wonder could do it'. Well he'd show him.

"Before you go," Anna said, as Harvey carefully filed the paperwork back in his folder. "Would you like to see some of the work we do here?" Mike's eyes widened. He'd looked up what they did, of course he had, but he hadn't seen any evidence of what they claimed they could do. He looked at Harvey, pleading in his eyes.

The older man rolled his eyes back at him. "We'd love to," he told Anna. She beamed and ushered them into a lab, pointing out various experiments to them. Mike knew his eyes were huge, and he was no doubt gazing around in boyish delight, so he made sure he wasn't in Harvey's eyeline so he couldn't be teased about it afterwards.

"Well, Dr Green, this is all very interesting, but we have to be going," Harvey told her. "Come on, Mike," obediently, Mike nodded and looked back at the woman, who was staring at them as if she couldn't bare for them to leave.

"Wait!" She begged. "Just one more? It's only through here!" Harvey masked his sigh and nodded to Mike.

"I need to get the car ready," he told his associate. "Meet us outside in five minutes. Dr Green," he said as a goodbye, shaking her hand and nodding, before giving Mike a _look_ and going to wait outside.

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><p>"Mr Specter!" Harvey heard someone shout him and looked up from where he had been leant against the car, looking over the papers Dr Green had signed. He saw the good doctor herself come towards him, clutching a small boy who was looking <em>very <em>pissed off for such a small child. "Don't forget your associate!" She chirped.

He stared at her. Jessica hadn't told him that Dr Green had gone _mad _from losing her son. "Where's Mike?" He asked slowly, pretending he hadn't heard the child in her arms huff impatiently.

"Right here, silly!" She laughed, holding the child out to him. He continued to stare at her. Whether she was mad or not, he didn't care, but he wasn't going to have a toddler clinging to his suit. They were sticky things, children.

"Take him!" She said shrilly, and Harvey had a fleeting worry that if he didn't take the boy then Dr Green would just drop him, and as much as he didn't care for children, he _really _didn't want to be around one that was crying. "Better," she smiled. "Don't worry - two weeks and it'll all be back to normal. Have fun!" With that she went back to her lab.

"I'm cold," Harvey looked down at the small blonde boy in his arms. Well, in his hands. He was holding him under the armpits, away from his suit.

"Well I'm not surprised, kid - you're only... wearing..." He tailed off, staring as he saw the child was wrapped in Mike's shirt. "_Mike_?"

"Yeah. And before you ask, no I don't know what she did, and you can put me down before you drop me," the child snapped at him, looking even more pissed off than he had when he was being held by Dr Green. Harvey hastily deposited him on the floor, feeling relief that he knew this kid wouldn't start to cry. He hoped. "Can we go now?"

"You want to go?" Harvey asked, trying to stay calm. "You've just been... magicked into a toddler and you just want to go?"

Mike shrugged. "She said it would wear off in two weeks. You can just drop me off at my place and I'll come back to work in two weeks. And for the record," he added, managing to pull the door of the car open, as Ray too was looking at him, his mouth wide open, "I'm not a _toddler_. Anna said I'm three."

"Because that makes all the difference," Harvey shot back. "And I'm _not _sending you to live in that crappy apartment for two weeks looking like that. You wouldn't even be able to reach the tap! And for the record - you are a toddler."

Mike fidgeted uncomfortably. "Can we argue later? I'd really appreciate it if you just took me home so I can try and find something to wear," the kid stamped his foot, and Harvey wanted to hit his head several times off the car to see if everything would be normal when he did. Unfortunately, by that point Mike had already crawled into the car.

Harvey got in too. "Ray, just drive to the office," he said, thankful when he heard the car start.

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><p>He spent the whole ride there staring at Mike. The small boy wriggled uncomfortably. "If you keep doing that you're going to give me a complex."<p>

Harvey shook his head. "How did this even happen?" He asked, motioning at Mike's body.

"I told you I don't know!" Mike told him forcefully. "Anna showed me this puppy she had and said it used to be an elderly dog, and I laughed, and she said she could show me. So she did. She did... something. I kinda blacked out for a second."

"I'm going to sue her," Harvey growled.

"What jury in their right minds would convict?" Mike asked. "'No, your honour, it was non-consentual shrinking, she didn't even have a warrant!' I can see that going down well," he glared at Harvey.

"Someone's pissy today," Harvey remarked, texting Donna to buy kid's clothes and meet him in his office. Thank god she just texted back 'Will do' and didn't ask. He was blessed with her.

"Maybe it's because I have to be _three _for two weeks!" Mike suggested unhappily. "And I'm assuming I have the emotions of a three year old, seeing as if you're not careful, I'm about to burst into tears all over your upholstery!" His voice wobbled at this and Harvey stared at him, aghast.

"Make sure you catch any tears with your shirt," he said, wary that any liquid on his upholstery would take forever to get out. Mike glared at him but sniffed and rubbed at his eyes. "Do you, uh..." Harvey was completely at a loss. "You want a nap?"

Mike glared at him and refused to dignify that with an answer. In the short amount of time it took for Harvey to text Jessica that he had to talk to her as soon as he got back, he felt something brush against him.

The kid had fallen asleep, his head tucked quite nicely into Harvey's side.

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><p>"Harvey, I've got those - who's this?" Donna's tone changed to a delighted one as she saw Mike sat on the couch. Harvey had woken him up to go into the office, and he was now swinging his legs slightly. She had never been a maternal woman; only barely bringing that side out when she was faced with Mike sulking near her desk, but one look at the small boy's face and her heart melted.<p>

"Donna - Mikey. Mikey - Donna," Harvey 'introduced', smirking.

"Don't be a dick, Harvey," Mike grumbled, angry at the whole world at that moment in time.

"Where did you learn that language?" Donna turned on him, her hands on her hips. Instantly intimidated, Mike scurried back on the couch, trying to get away from her.

"Donna, it's _me_, it's Mike!" He insisted.

"Is this what the clothes were for?" Donna asked. Harvey nodded wordlessly as she turned back to Mike. "I got you some basics; Harvey said you were three, so they should fit okay, depending on how small you are - were you never _fed_ as a child?" She raved, taking clothes out of a bag and holding them up for a second before nodding and pulling some underwear out of the bag.

"Woah, woah - I can dress myself!" He insisted, grabbing them out of her hands and pulling them up, glad that his original shirt covered him. "How does this not bother you?" He asked, as he pulled the small pair of jeans on.

"I have two small nephews," she told him, beaming as he took the shirt off and pulled on the blue top she had bought.

"No, I mean - _this_. Me. Being... small."

"Donna's very practical," Harvey told him with a slight smirk.

"Thank you, Harvey," she said to him, smiling before turning. "Do you need help putting your shoes on? Harvey why didn't you tell me it was Mike? I could've bought some small suits! That would've been adorable. I'm doing that tonight," she promised, pretending she couldn't see Mike's terrified face at how much she seemed to be enjoying this.

It was made worse when Jessica walked into the room to see what Harvey had wanted. Like Donna, her face lit up at the sight of the small boy.

Mike groaned and put his head in his hands.

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><p>"You mean she's letting me stay?" Mike asked, after Jessica left. "And she's not telling anyone?" He had once more fallen asleep and was woken up by Donna trying to move him off the couch so she could place some files down that had spread onto the coffee table.<p>

"Actually, I think she's telling everyone," Harvey told him, a sympathetic grimace on his face. "Our client claims to be able to revert someone back to their youth and we've defended them? She's telling everyone so that they know we have a very powerful client."

"Even the other associates?" Mike squeaked, clutching at his new velcro shoes in horror.

"Even Louis," Harvey told him in a grave tone.

"Harvey don't torture the kid," Donna told him, sitting beside Mike and trying to flatten his blonde hair.

"You mean he was lying?" Mike asked happily, subconsciously leaning into the touch.

"No, he was telling the truth," she told him, causing him to sigh and shuffle down in the seat. "But he doesn't have to keep going on about it," she glared at Harvey who smirked back. He sat in his chair, throwing a baseball up and down as he so often did when he needed to think.

"What do we do now?" Mike asked, looking at Harvey.

"Now, we just figure out how to keep you alive for two weeks until you can do it yourself again. Well, I say do it yourself, you need help keeping alive on most days..." Harvey mused.

"Keeping me alive?" Mike repeated. "What are you expecting will happen?" Harvey smirked again and this time it was Mike who wanted to hit his head off something numerous times to see if it was all just a dream. He jumped off the couch and headed for the door, only to have Donna's arm snake around his waist and pull him back. "What are you doing?" He asked, struggling to get free.

"Isn't what I should be asking?" Donna shot back. "Where are you going?"

"Sorry, _Mom_," he shot at her. "I didn't realise I needed your permission to go to the bathroom."

"Oh," Donna blinked, before cheerily taking his hand and walking to the door.

"What are you doing?" Mike repeated, although it was now more of a whine.

"I have two small nephews, Mike," Donna told him grimly. "They can barely reach the toilet."

Mike looked back to Harvey for support. "Harvey!" He pleaded, even as he was dragged out. He ground his teeth as he watched Harvey sit back in his chair and laugh.

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><p>"So, Harvey - this is actually Mike?" Louis sneered, looking down at the small boy who was once more sat at the couch, sipping on a carton of juice - courtesy of Donna - and looking through some files for Harvey. Since they figured out he could still read and write, the older man decided to make sure Mike was still earning his wage.<p>

For some reason, Mike was now slightly scared of Louis. Over the months he'd been working at Pearson Hardman, Mike developed slightly thicker skin, and the constant threats of unemployment from Louis no longer affected him. Now though, as Louis stood over him - _so _much bigger than he used to be - Mike couldn't help but feel afraid. All of the jabs and the amount of times he had been screwed over by this man suddenly seemed to be of incredible importance, and he swore that he could _feel _both the adult side and the child sides of his mind vying for attention - the child side winning slightly as he could only feel distrust towards him.

"Yes, it is - and no, you can't have him, no matter how adorable you think he is," Harvey said absent mindedly looking through files. "How did you get in?"

"Donna's gone," Louis said simply getting slightly closer to Mike to see what he was doing. In response, Mike shuffled further away from him, keeping a tight grip on the file.

"Gone?" Harvey repeated, sitting up straight in his chair. He knew that the only time Donna wasn't there was when she went to the bathroom. And she'd gone with Mike. He knew the kid had been made to go in the ladies' room, as he had come back blushing scarlet. Harvey had wanted to ask if Mike had needed help off Donna, but he was wary of the wrath he may suffer from the seemingly innocent looking boy sat opposite him. That and if he upset Mike, he knew that Donna's wrath would be worse. He quickly texted her to find out where she was.

Louis was still edging closer to Mike. "What are you working on?" He asked. "Because I have some briefs you can look through when you're finished."

"Louis the kid's _three_, I'm making him look through one file for the whole day. You are _not _giving him work he can barely keep up with on a normal day."

"Hey!" Mike cried out, offended. He _always _kept up with the work he was given. Well - he'd had to pull some all-nighters but he'd finished the work.

"Harvey, if you'll recall, I'm in charge of the associates," Louis told him smugly.

"And I'm in charge of Mike," Harvey replied firmly, standing up to initiate a bizarre stand-off. "He's _my _associate."

"Uh, look, guys, I'm not really bothered with what work I get, I can - "

"Great," Louis said in a fake cheery tone. He went to take the file off Mike. Stubbornly, Mike held onto it, backing away. Even though he had been about to say he could do the work Louis wanted him to, he was again hit with the feelings of severe mistrust, and under no circumstance wanted to be too near Louis. "Michael," Louis said sternly. "Give me the file." Mike's face twisted into an uncomfortable, unhappy look. This was work he was doing for _Harvey_. He remembered previous times when Louis had stopped him when he was doing things for Harvey, and was now adamant that he wouldn't turn traitor and go against his boss.

"Louis, what are you - " Harvey was about to ask, before Louis made to lunge for the file. Before he could do anything, Harvey was aware of the small child quickly slipping away from Louis and looked down to see that Mike was stood behind him, firmly clutching onto his legs.

"If you won't do my work," Louis seethed, as Mike buried his face in Harvey's leg so he wouldn't have to face that much anger. "Then I'll make sure you don't get _anyone's _work," he stormed out, angry that he couldn't even get a child to do his bidding.

Harvey glanced down at his associate, who was managing to do a great job of looking _very _innocent as he looked up at Harvey, still keeping a tight hold of his leg. "What, are you scared of Louis now?" Harvey asked mildly. He wasn't really sure what to do. Mike was clinging to him and Harvey didn't know if he should just shake him off, push him off, leave him there, or - god forbid - pick him up.

"He's a lot more intimidating when he's about 5 feet taller than you," Mike mumbled. He didn't want to mention the fact that he thought Louis was _mean, _or that he much preferred staying near Harvey.

"Yeah well don't worry about it, alright?" Harvey said in a reassuring voice as he finally got a text back off Donna. "You can still do my work."

"Thanks," Mike said moodily, detatching from Harvey's leg and wandering back over to the file he had dropped after scrambling away from Louis. He heard Harvey give a chuckle and looked over. "What?"

"Donna," he answered, waving his phone slightly at Mike. "She's gone to buy you 'supplies'."

"Supplies?" Mike repeated looking incredibly wary. "What kind of 'supplies'?"

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><p>If Harvey showed his emotions more, he would probably have started to <em>cry <em>with laughter. Mike was being chased around his office by Donna, who was trying to persuade him to at least _try _the child harness that she had bought. Apparently, it was so he wouldn't wander off, and although Harvey secretly agreed with Mike that he probably wouldn't run off, it was still amusing to watch his associate finally tackled to the floor by his assistant as she fought to strap him in.

_"There,_" Donna pushed back her hair and breathed out, standing back to view her handywork. Mike scowled at her and went about trying to take the harness off. However, his small fingers weren't exactly up for the challenge. He groaned in frustration and tried to edge around Donna, who simply put her foot on the harness, causing Mike to come to a stop.

"Didn't I say it would be useful?" She asked Harvey, a smile on her face. Harvey's shoulder were shaking with mirth as Mike gave up and fell onto his backside, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Please take this off me," he ground out, as if it pained him to even have to _ask_.

"At least if you're on the end of this, you'll be on time a lot more," Harvey told him, pretending to seriously examine the harness.

"I feel like a puppy on a leash," Mike commented, happily standing up as Harvey bent down to unclip the harness.

"You look like one," Harvey told him.

"You've been telling him that for months," Donna told him, looking put out that her hard work was now wasted. She did, however, brighten as she took other supplies out of the various shopping bags she had surrounding her. "I got you a car seat," she said, pulling out a large box. "Ray said he would install it."

"I don't think it'll fit on my bike, Donna - thanks anyway," Mike told her hastily. He _really _didn't like car seats. All his protesting earned him was a menacing glare from Donna and a head shake from Harvey.

"Mike, you always talk about 'safety first'," Donna reminded him, pulling him over to check and see if the seat was a good fit. He could sit in it snugly and have enough room to move his arms around, but he refused to sit in it long enough for her to strap it and see. "Mike - this isn't to embarass you, no matter what you might think," she told him, "if the car crashed - "

"Which it won't," Mike told her, jumping out of the seat as soon as she was even slightly distracted.

"But if it _did_," she emphasised, "then your little neck will snap in two because there wasn't enough support. Sure, part of it might be because I would be the one to snap your neck if you got into an accident, but think of Harvey," she told him, and they both looked over at the older man whose raised eyebrows showed exactly what he thought about Donna using him in such a conversation. "He'd be sad if you got hurt by something that could have been avoided if you'd _trusted _him and sat in the seat in the first place."

She was talking to him as if he really were three, but the words made sense to him, and to his horror he felt guilt welling inside him. He looked over at Harvey with round, dewey eyes. "Sorry," he mumbled, even though he knew full well that Harvey had had no part in their discussion.

He snorted in reply. "I think I'd be more worried about being fined if the cops saw that you weren't strapped down."

"'Strapped down'?" Mike repeated. "Thanks for that. Now I _really _feel like a puppy," Harvey grinned in reply, but tilted his head slightly as Mike yawned. Harvey looked at his watch. 7.30. He looked over at Donna with a face that seemed to say, 'he's already tired? What a wuss'.

Donna tutted in retaliation and scooped Mike up, who couldn't really be bothered complaining; just so long as they didn't put him in that car seat. "Maybe you two should go home now," Donna said.

Both males' heads shot up. "What?" They both asked at the same time.

"'Two'? As in, both of us? Together?" Mike asked.

"Now?" Harvey repeated. "I've barely gotten through any of the paperwork I wanted to, and - "

"I assumed when you wanted me to pick all of this stuff up that you were going to take Mike home with you," Donna observed, her eyes flashing dangerously. "And it's already half past seven - the kid should be in bed in about an hour!"

"'The kid' is right here," Mike waved at them from Donna's arms, resisting the urge to just give up and fall asleep there. Not surprisingly, they ignored him.

"I had every intention of taking him with me," Harvey told her. "But not now. You said he should be in bed in an hour - it doesn't take long to get back to my apartment."

"You realised he will need feeding, bathing and I don't care what you and he say about his 'adult mind' it'll take you longer than you think to get him settled for the night."

"Then why don't you take him?" Harvey offered. "You seem to know what you're doing."

"Guys!" Mike yelled out louder than he had expected to. They both looked at him. "Can we please not argue about who doesn't want Mike?" The kid looked so downtrodden as his lip wobbled that Harvey felt like he had been punched in the gut. He hadn't the first clue about how children worked, but seeing Mike of all people looking at him like that; he couldn't help but think, _Screw it, I'll work it out as we go_.

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><p>"Mike, look at the effort Ray put into fixing this car seat in," Harvey said, trying to copy Donna's tactic of adressing mostly the child and not the man. "Will you just sit down? You'll be in there for about ten minutes."<p>

Mike shook his head, locking his knees so Harvey couldn't get him to sit down without exerting quite a lot of force.

"Mike, don't be difficult," Harvey snarled. "You think that just because you know what you're doing I can't put you in time out?"

Perhaps it was the threat of such a juvenile punishment, or that he was exhausted, or that he knew he was angering Harvey - whatever it was, Mike slowly lowered himself onto the chair. Harvey nodded in approval and felt that maybe his parenting skills were improving; or at least not as bad as he thought them to be. He didn't really get on with kids. However, as he was strapping the toddler, he felt Mike trembling slightly. He glanced up and saw Mike's face contorting as if he was trying to hold back tears.

Sighing, Harvey stood back, but crouched so that they were roughly on the same level. "Alright, Mike - whatever it is you're hiding, you had better tell me now. You give me a valid reason as to why you won't sit in this carseat, and I will get rid of it."

Mike stared at him. "No you won't," he said. "That would be breaking the law. I _have _to be in a carseat. Forget it; like you said, it's ten minutes," he still looked like the epitome of misery, and Harvey; ever the diligent lawyer, wouldn't give up that easily.

"Alright - if you tell me what the problem is, I promise I will try and break off _any _contact between you and Louis over the next two weeks," Harvey bribed, even though he knew that it would be next to impossible. But hey, he'd said he would promise to _try_.

It seemed to work though, as Mike looked up eagerly. "Seriously?" Harvey nodded and Mike nodded back, before looking down at his lap. "When my parents died, it was in a car accident," he said. This much, Harvey already knew. As well as having been told at some point, he had noticed Mike's hands squeeze the upholestry tightly if they had to break suddenly, or if they shot round a corner too fast he would see his associate turn slightly pale. "I was in the car. In a carseat," he rubbed at his head. "Apparently it saved my life. I was short for my age, and my Mom kept insisting I sat in it. But I guess I should put it behind me, huh?" Mike tried to smile as he said this, as Harvey attempted to keep his face neutral rather than show the pity he knew the kid wouldn't want.

"Mike," Harvey said, wondering what to say, "I'm sorry, kiddo, really, but I've got to make sure you stay safe - and that means the car seat. Donna will kill me if I let you sit out of it."

Mike nodded and brushed his eyes with his hands, realising he'd started crying. "Sorry," he said thickly. "Stupid toddler emotions. I'm just tired. Don't worry about it, I don't blame you, or Donna. I know I have to sit in it," he sniffed and rubbed at his eyes again. He suddenly felt the straps constricting him lifting, and found himself in Harvey's arms. He stayed silent as Harvey got into his side of the car and pulled the seatbelt around them both, so he was still strapped down, but now on Harvey's knee.

It made him feel a lot safer than the car seat had.

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><p><strong>AN Wow, long first chapter is long. Please don't expect this length to be the same throughout - although I always try to keep my chapters long; but this had more seeing as I had to set it all out and whatnot. So, yeah - please tell me what you thought, and if you liked it and want it continued; please tell me :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**THANK YOU ALL SO SO MUCH :D To wake up and find I have nearly FIFTY reviews? I'm so glad you all like it :D That's about all I have to say really, except enjoy the next chapter :)**

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><p>Harvey realised, as Ray helped him drag all of the shopping bags into his condo, that Donna had told him he had needed to bathe Mike. As well as the fact that Harvey had no drive in him whatsoever to accomlish that, he also knew nothing about children and subsequently; nothing about cleaning them. Maybe he could hire an nanny, he mused, watching Mike as the toddler decided it would be a good idea to see if he could get across the room without touching the floor.<p>

Quickly thanking Ray, he put the bags to one side, determined to look through them later. He looked up and saw Mike dangerously wobbling on the arm of his couch. "Hey!" Mike turned on hearing Harvey's angry voice, and wobbled, his arms flailing as he fell. Harvey leapt forward, feeling as though time had slowed down. He just managed to catch Mike before he hit the floor, and felt the breath rush out of him as he landed on his back, with Mike landing on his stomach.

Mike stared down at him with wide eyes. "What... were... you... thinking?" Harvey asked, in between gasps for air. Mike hastily got off him, backing away before bumping into the couch.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "Everything's just so much bigger, I was just seeing if I could actually climb up, it was - "

"Stupid," Harvey snarled, his breath back as he sat up, brushing down his suit. "It was stupid, Mike - you want me to have to phone Donna or your Grandmother and tell them that you're in a coma with a skull fracture because you decided it was a good idea to climb on my _very expensive _furniture?" He felt proud that this had stunned Mike to silence, but instantly regretted it as Mike's eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry," he croaked. "I didn't want... I'm sorry," he looked down and wiped at his eyes. Harvey stood up, looking at him. Should he comfort him? Or leave him, as some sort of punishment?

"Just... just be careful next time, okay, kid?" He said lightly. He was struck with sudden inspiration of distraction and said: "You want something to eat?"

Mike nodded, looking up as Harvey's tone was no longer angry. "What have you got?" He asked, following Harvey over to his kitchen.

_Not much_, Harvey wanted to say, cursing the fact he barely ever came home. He'd need to go buy some stuff. What does one feed a three year old? He wished Donna was there. He gave up. It was their first night, he could prepare for later. "How about I just get takeout?" He offered, closing his fridge. Mike nodded - the three year old inside him wanted to celebrate; takeout was a treat. But the man had basically lived off it since starting his new job.

Harvey rang for pizza, and when he put the phone down he surveyed Mike critically. The kid had been tired when they left the firm. Then when they got here he was climbing on the furniture. And now he was stood there, rubbing at his eyes again. Harvey needed him awake enough to eat before sleeping.

"So Donna thinks you should have a bath," he said. It had the desired effect of startling Mike out of his sleepiness.

"A bath?" He repeated. "I haven't had a bath since I was about 8! I'll have a shower."

"You think I'm insured to have you die in my shower?" Harvey asked him, rootling through the shopping bags. Sure enough, he found that Donna had bought some baby shampoo. He squeezed his eyes shut as he made the decision. This should be fun.

"Mike - I know this isn't going to be comfortable for either of us; but if we go in tomorrow and you don't smell clean..."

"I know, Donna will kill you," Mike sighed, looking over to the bathroom door with dread in his eyes. "Can you not just... I don't know - wait outside?"

"I know we found out you can still write, but I don't think your hands are as dexterous as you'd want them to be," Harvey told him. "So you either just let me scrub at your hair and make sure you're marginally clean, or we can leave it and see how long it takes before people start looking over and thinking, 'Good God, who let _that _out of the house?'"

Mike huffed in defeat.

* * *

><p>Harvey added the bubble bath that Donna had bought until it was thick with bubbles. At least the kid wouldn't have to worry about modesty. "Right - get in," he said, turning around to the toddler who was clutching a towel to himself.<p>

"Turn around," he instructed, glaring until Harvey did so. After a few seconds of miserable squeaking sounds as Mike tried and failed to get into the bath, Harvey just turned and picked him up, dunking him into the bath in about half a second.

"You take any longer, you'll be going backwards," Harvey tutted, grabbing the large beaker he found in his cupboards and pouring warm water into it. "Close your eyes," he instructed as he tipped the water over the toddler, making sure the blonde hair was fully soaked. Unfortunately, his warning hadn't come soon enough, and Mike had been about to say something, with his eyes firmly open. He spluttered and coughed as the water ran into his eyes and down his nose and mouth. "Sorry," Harvey muttered, grabbing a face cloth and gently rubbing at Mike's face.

"I don't really want my hair washed," Mike gave a pathetic whimper as Harvey started to rub the shampoo into his hair. "Please."

"Sorry, Mike," Harvey said softly, wincing as the kid gave little whines whenever Harvey touched his hair or head. "I've already started - might as well finish it," he lathered the shampoo around thoroughly and removed his hands to dunk them in the bath to get rid of any left over that stuck to them. "Almost done, so just... Are you crying?"

Mike sniffed and shook his head. "I'm fine, I just... I really like having showers, and I know this is a bath, so it's a bit different, but I like having water running down my face, and... I just... Can you hurry up? It's nothing against you, I just... I don't like the feel of someone touching my head and my hair."

Harvey had no idea how to combat this, so he merely nodded and quickly filled the beaker with more warm water. "You ready to close your eyes?" Harvey asked. In answer, Mike covered them with his hands, but then withdrew as they were soapy. He gazed up at Harvey with already tearfilled eyes. Harvey glanced around and spotted the face cloth he had used before. He folded it and put it on Mike's eyes. "Hold that against your eyes," he said, waiting until Mike was squeezing it against his face to pour the water over. He quickly washed all of the shampoo out and pulled the cloth away.

"Now was that as bad as you thought?" He asked. Mike nodded glumly, making Harvey sigh. He was about to say something more but heard a knock on the door. "Pizza," he said. "Don't move," he warned, "hang onto the tap if you need to - but just don't drown."

Mike raised an eyebrow but stuck his small hands on the side of the bath and held tight, looking up at Harvey. "I will be back in less than a minute," he promised.

True to his word, he was soon back and pleased to see Mike still hanging on, although he looked tired. Probably from the warm bath. "You want to clean yourself a bit?" Harvey asked, handing him the cloth. Mike simply nodded and started rubbing himself down, leaning close to the bubbles to reach his legs and feet. After about five minutes he looked up again.

"Finished," he said, yawning. Harvey nodded and picked up the fluffy bath towel he had ready. Mike stood up carefull in the bath and held his arms up slightly to be lifted out and wrapped in the towel. Harvey realised that Mike was almost swaddled in the towel, and he was clinging to Harvey, who was thinking of his suit that would now be wet. Mike was clearly too tired to be embarrassed.

"Right, Donna packed some pyjamas," Harvey told him. Thankfully, whilst Donna had at first caved and bought extremely childish pyjamas that had sheep on them, she had also bought a standard pair that were just a plain green colour. He pointed them out the Mike and left him to it, knowing that the toddler wouldn't appreciate his hair being dried, after what he had said whilst having it washed.

In about two minutes, as Harvey was onto his second slice of pizza - he'd barely had time to eat all day - Mike came into the room. Donna had been good with guessing sizes, and the pyjamas only hung off him slightly, and he could easily fist up the sleeves in his hands. His blonde hair hung down with wetness and Harvey decided that he would dry it properly whether Mike wanted him to or not.

"You saved me some, right?" Mike asked, climbing onto the chair and gazing over at the slice in Harvey's hands, feeling drool seeming to rush into his mouth.

"Depends, you leave my bathroom tidy?"

"Of course."

"How many bubbles are out of the tub?"

"... Not as many as you wouldn't want..."

Harvey was too tired to unpick that sentence and just shook his head, passing a slice over. Mike ate it steadily, feeling sad as he smelt the aroma of the pizza and realising he was completely full. His eyes dropped as the warmth from his bath was replaced with the warmth from the food. He barely noticed his head slipping forward as a pair of arms lifted him and carried him somewhere, laying him down in a soft bed. He felt the cover being pulled around him, and wanted to whine as he felt a towel come round his head and gently rub, getting rid of any moisture. Although it was uncomfortable, he soon fell asleep, and - had he been awake - would have kicked himself if he found out he was sucking his thumb.

* * *

><p>Harvey had researched throughout the night, looking up everything about three year olds as he could. Obviously Mike wasn't a normal three year old, but some stuff still applied. He realised that whatever he said, Mike <em>had <em>to sit in the car seat, and he bit his lip when he read that he should have cut the pizza slice up into small bites. Thank god he hadn't choked. Harvey couldn't remember what he had read as much as Mike could, but he felt confident enough that he knew a bit more about children. In theory, though. In practice he probably wouldn't have that much success.

He had set the kid down in his bed, realising that he only had one, and the couch was clearly out of the question. He hadn't exactly slept well, as Mike was a very fidgety child, forever rolling one way or another, and he was also quite clingy. Harvey woke up to find a small limpet attatched to his side. He'd researched and found that people were giving their three year olds normal beds, so he wasn't too worried about Mike sleeping in his bed - it was quite low to the floor and spacious.

He got up, noticing the sun coming through the windows and hastily had a shower, quickly getting dressed and styling his hair while Mike still slept. He was just finished when he heard a cry from his room. Automatically assuming the worst, he rushed in to find Mike holding the covers, a horrified expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, grabbing clothes for the toddler to wear now that he was awake.

"The... uh... I..." Mike was floundering, and he was also bright red. "I... your bed, I'm sorry, it's... stupid toddlers... I..."

"Mike," Harvey said, about to sit on the bed before thinking better of it. "How about you go get cleaned up and dressed," he wanted to smile back so badly at Mike's dazzling grin as he was spared the embarrassment of having to say outloud that he had wet the bed. Harvey should have seen it coming anyway, all the sites he had looked on and there were a few mentions of small boys wetting the bed. Damn. Harvey loved his bed, and to think that he was also in bed at the time was both slightly disgusting and unnerving. He would have to have a quiet word with Donna to get pull ups or something. And then she could be the one to convince him to wear them.

Harvey quickly stripped his bed, thankful that it was only wet as far as the sheets, and threw them in a laundry bag. He would deal with that later. He went to the kitchen, knowing that Mike would be famished. Remembering he barely had any food, he made some toast, buttering it as Mike shyly came out from the bathroom, fully clothed and still pink.

"Hurry up and eat," Harvey told him, passing him the toast. "I need to be at the office soon."

"Can I help with work?" Mike begged, frowning for a second at his toast that had been cut up into small squares before demolishing it.

Harvey was about to say yes, that he could look through some briefs that needed editing, before realising he could use this to his advantage. "Tell you what," he said, putting his jacket on. "If you sit in that car seat without complaint all the way to the firm, I'll let you look through some briefs for me. Deal?"

Mike looked unsure, but nodded, realising he was being given the chance to be treated like an adult in what seemed like ages.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, Mike had indeed sat in the car seat without any whining at all, but hurried to get out of it as soon as they'd stopped. He gazed up at the firm. "It seems much bigger now," he said, gazing around.<p>

Harvey snorted and cocked his head as he walked in, indication that Mike should follow. He did so, but was soon struggling as they came through the doors. "I know you don't want to lose your reputation," Mike said as they waited for Harvey's ID to be checked. "But I'd be willing to put my pride aside and be carried up; my legs hurt - you know how fast you walk?"

Harvey walked over to the elevator, thinking. Everyone in Pearson Hardman knew that Harvey Specter's associate was now pint-sized, but could he handle being seen walking in holding the kid in his arms? That and the fact it would crease his suit. Mike held onto his leg as they walked into the elevator, knowing there would be potential for falling over. Harvey sighed as Mike did this, as nothing could have made him feel more guilty.

"If anyone asks, you broke your legs," he said sternly, picking Mike up and holding him awkwardly. Mike felt incredible unsafe in the hold but refused to comment, knowing that, in his own way, Harvey was trying.

He couldn't help but bite his lip as the elevator doors finally opened. He shuddered to think what would happen. What people would say.

His mind changed track as they approached Donna's desk.

He hoped she had more juice boxes for him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN I did say it wouldn't be as long. I decided to stop it so that the next chapter could be dedicated to their work day, and various things that take place in it :) Please don't expect quick updates like this all the time, I just happened to have NOTHING to do today XD**

**And I don't know whether all three year olds hate having their hair washed/touched, but my little cousin does. Which is a shame, because people pet his hair alot; it's the most gorgeous copper colour :3 Anyways, please review again like you all did in the last chapter? You have no idea how much I appreciate it, and most of that spurred me on to write this today :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N You know I REALLY love the reviews, I can't reply to each one, only if you've got a question or something I want to adress - but know that I appreciate each and every single one :D **

* * *

><p>"Donna!" To Harvey's surprise, Mike squirmed to get down from his admittedly ridiculous hold and; once down - ran as fast he could over to the red-haired assistant, who quickly scooped him up before he could crash into her legs.<p>

"Hey, Mike - did you have fun at Harvey's?"

Mike shrugged. "It was okay; I was pretty tired, I didn't really do much."

Donna nodded understandingly and had a quick sniff of Mike's hair. "At least you had a bath," she remarked.

"I didn't really like it," Mike's face scrunched up. "I don't like people touching my hair."

"Poor Harvey," Donna teased as he approached. "Shunned for touching your hair."

"I was just glad that he shut up," Harvey told her, eyes twinkling slightly. Mike looked at him guiltily but quickly got down from Donna's arms as he saw Louis approach. He didn't want Louis spreading it round the other associates that he was relishing in his childish role.

"Harvey, I have a high priority case that is all hands on deck; even Jessica said so," he told him, somewhat smugly. "I'm going to need your child too."

"Out of the question, Louis," Harvey told him, walking around to stand protectively in front of Mike. "He's staying with me."

"I need people to work!" Louis insisted. "Mike gets through two times as much research as Gregory or Kyle, and I'll make sure he has regular breaks!"

Harvey raised his eyebrows. "Look at that; Louis Litt giving out breaks. How about it, Mike?" Harvey looked down to where Mike was standing warily behind him, his small, blonde head poking out from behind Harvey's legs. "You want to work with Uncle Louis for the day?" He smirked but flinched as he swore to God that Mike had just bitten him. "I don't think he wants to. How about you go and get all of the other Harvard drones to go do your work?" Harvey's suggestion-that-wasn't-a-suggestion filtered through the air as both Donna and Mike were silent, waiting to see what would happen.

Louis simply turned around and walked away, and all Mike could think of was the Wicked Witch in 'The Wizard of Oz'. He imagined Louis shouting in his nasally voice; "I'll get you, Specter! And your little boy too!" Mike shivered and decided that a toddler's imagination was too much for him. He pulled at Harvey's pants leg as the older man watched Louis walk away with distaste easily visible on his face.

Harvey felt the demanding tugging and looked down. "What, you want to actually go with him?"

Mike's face showed all to clearly what he thought about that. "No! I'm thirsty - can I go get one of the Red Bull cans from my desk?" He asked. He thought it was a reasonable enough request. Apparently not.

"No," both Harvey and Donna answered at exactly the same time. "Not only does the Red Bull actually dehydrate you - " Donna told him, before being interrupted by Harvey.

"I will _not _have a small you on a caffeine high - it was bad enough when you were normal - "

"It can't be good for small boys," Donna added.

"You want to sleep through the rest of the day? You crash and you'll be collapsed in my office until tomorrow - "

"Think of what Jessica would say if we let you drink from a can - "

"She'd never let me forget it - "

"She wouldn't? _I _wouldn't let you forget it!" Donna told him, pointing at him as if he had already given Mike the can, and opened it for him as well. Mike stared at them with wide eyes. They were bickering like a married couple. Or like his parents. It made him extremely uncomfortable, and so he let go of Harvey's leg and decided to walk into his office. Unfortunately, Harvey seemed to have a 'Mike-dar' and knew exactly where he was. Or maybe it was just because he could feel the small hand loosen on his pants leg.

"Where are you going?" He asked, the small argument between himself and Donna forgotten.

"I'm just going into your office!" Mike defended himself. "You two are acting like my parents! I just want to get a sense of normalcy! I'm going to get started on that file," all that was missing off the end of that sentence was 'and that's _that'_. Harvey raised his eyebrow at Donna, who hummed slightly.

"Acting like his parents," Harvey muttered. "I don't even _like _kids."

"You can only fool so many people, Harvey," Donna smirked at him.

"Oh, I have a job for you," Harvey told her, smiling in a particularly evil way. "Mike had an accident last night, so I need you to convince him to wear pull-ups in bed. Alright? Great," he walked to his office, hoping that a) Donna didn't kill him, and b) She would actually get Mike to listen.

* * *

><p>"Harvey, I'm <em>thirsty<em>," Mike reminded him, after about two minutes of looking through the file. Harvey could see that bribing him with work would soon be coming to an end. No matter what Mike said to the contrary, he couldn't focus on one thing for very long.

"I said that Donna would be coming in with drinks _soon_," Harvery explained once more, through gritted teeth. "Be patient."

Mike huffed and looked back down at the file. He read three sentences and then put it back down, looking around. The whole office was entirely different from this new perspective. He could walk underneath Harvey's desk - not that he wanted to, he was just amazed that he could. He hadn't even realised he was doing it, but he was just wandering around the office, opening cupboards that he had to bend down for before. He looked through the records on the bottom shelf, having never looked at them before. They were okay ones as well.

Harvey watched him with a critical eye, surveying the scene of the toddler wandering around his office and simply _looking_. Or maybe 'exploring' would be a better word. Mike was getting into _everything_. Harvey had enough as he saw Mike touch the records. He knew the kid would be careful, but in all honesty, he didn't trust him near them normally, let alone now.

"Mike," he said. "What are you doing?"

"I've just noticed how everything looks different," Mike told him, fascinated by the view from the window until he put his face right up next to it and recoiled. "The view's too big now," he whimpered, backing away hastily. Harvey pitied the kid for a minute, before the emotion turned to distrust and anger.

"Louis, what the hell do you want?"

Louis pretended to look guilty as he walked into the office and passed Harvey the coffee Donna was supposed to bringing. "Louis, what are you - "

"Some things fell off Donna's desk; I offered to take these into you."

Harvey looked at him. "Really?"

"Well; fell off, got pushed - what's the difference? Here, squirt," the endearment sounded wrong coming from Louis and both Harvey and Mike wanted to gag at it. Louis threw the juicebox over to Mike but the small boy missed the throw and turned to go get it. The juice had landed right next to the window and Mike gave a small whimper, refusing to go near the large drop again. "What, you're scared of heights?" Louis mocked.

"No," Mike said stubbornly, inching towards the juice. Harvey stood up and walked over to pick up the fallen juice. He passed it to Mike, about to ruffle his hair but deciding against because Louis was there. And Mike hated it.

"Louis, I don't know what it is about Mike that has you obsessed with having him work for you; but get it into your head," Harvey said menacingly. "He's not coming!"

"I'll have you know, Harvey, that I am excellent with children," Louis told him, as Mike stifled a giggle. "What better way to prove that your associate liked me more than you than when he's a child? Kids adore me."

Harvey looked down at the small child who had a look of contempt on his face. "What do you think, Mike? Do you 'adore' Louis?"

Mike gave an unconstrained giggle at the thought and just drank from his juice as an answer. He jumped as Louis suddenly bent down so he could talk to him on his level. "Mike, you're the best of the associates; I need you on this case. What do you say, partner?"

"I'm not a child," Mike said around the straw. "And I don't think I'd be much help on this case - my handwriting isn't very good."

"That's fine, we can get you a computer," Louis bartered.

"Give it up, Louis," Harvey said in a bored manner. "Everyone knows the only reason you want Mike is because he's _my _associate."

"Hey!" Mike cried out. "I'm sure that's not the only reason. Right?"

"Your work is satisfactory," Louis said as an off-hand comment before looking back at Harvey. "Need I remind you that _I_ am in control of _all_ associates?"

"Need I remind you that I don't give a rat's ass?" Harvey said casually, sitting back down in his chair. Mike moved slowly over to stand next to him, worried that Louis would decide to just scoop him up and run. "Leave my office - if you want, I'll let Mike do your work when he's normal. But not now," with that he dismissed Louis, just as Donna walked in.

"I'm sorry, Harvey, my vase of flowers fell of my desk, I've just been wiping the water up - why is Louis in here?" She got closer to Louis. "I told you that _I _would bring these drinks in, Louis - it surprises me that you're in here," she gave him a fake cheery smile and got closer. "If you're trying to take Mike out of this office - good luck. Harvey will take _Gregory _before you take Mike. Oh, and need I remind you of a certain date I have in my head...?" She smiled as he left quickly. "Atta boy."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that Louis was acting like a paedofile," Mike muttered, resting his head on Harvey's bent leg as he finished his juice.

"Nope, he just likes full control," Harvey told him. "If I have something; he wants it. All the other associates are loyal to him - he just wants you to be as well. He figures that with you being a kid now it'll be easier for him to muscle in."

Mike gave a snort and rolled his eyes, passing the empty juice box up to Donna. "Thanks for the juice, Donna - even if Louis brought it in."

"Just stay away from him," she warned, before looking at Harvey. "And _you _have a meeting soon; but until then, keep your eye on _him_," she pointed to Mike, who gazed up at her innocently, giving her a shy smile.

"Come on, kid - you can highlight the parts I tell you to," Harvey told him, remembering something he'd read in his child research. Kids liked to get involved; he'd do more if it was something they were doing together rather than if he was on his own. Regarding this, Harvey grabbed hold of him by his armpits and pulled him up to sit on his knee. Mike shuffled slightly. "Comfortable enough?" Harvey asked in amusement as the kid leant back, resting against Harvey's back and stomach.

"Mhm," Mike replied, uncapping the highlighter before leaing forward eagerly to help.

* * *

><p>"Mike, I'm going to my meeting," Harvey told the small boy who was now sat on the couch, looking at the toy fire truck Donna had given him in bemusement. "Stay in here - you got that?" Mike nodded and went back to inspecting the toy.<p>

"What am I supposed to do with this?" He asked, more to himself than to Harvey. The older man couldn't help but laugh at Mike's concentrated face, trying to figure it out like a puzzle.

"Push it along the floor and make fire truck sounds," Harvey suggested, walking out. "You leave this room and I'll break your feet."

When he was gone, Mike glared at the door. "Make fire truck sounds. Right," he huffed, refusing to do anything of the sort.

He _was_ getting bored though...

Donna was sat outside the office at her desk, immersed in work. He knew she would probably keep glancing in and making sure he was still in there and alive, but the toy was beginning to take over his attention. He wanted to hit himself in the head for thinking it, but what Harvey suggested wasn't a bad idea. There was lots of floor space to be used as road - the table was a bridge, the chair a building; some records could do for more if he stacked them up...

He got to work, and within minutes had his own city in front of him. A city that was toppling around him and needed a fire truck to come save everyone - he'd always wanted to be a fireman.

The next time Donna looked up she spotted Mike's legs sticking out from under Harvey's desk. Deciding to look in and make sure he wasn't choking on a spare tie or hadn't stuck his finger in an electrical socket, she quietly opened the door, amazed to hear the sounds of 'Nee nah, nee nah' coming from underneath the desk. She crouched and saw Mike on all fours, pushing the truck along enthusiastically, making the typical fire truck sounds and apparently in the midst of some heroic rescue. She started to giggle, quickly exiting the room to let him continue playing. She pushed the intercom button on her desk to make sure she could still hear him, but eventually the toddler's random noises were getting on her nerves and she shut it off.

She was sure he wouldn't go anywhere.

* * *

><p>Mike had just finished pulling someone from a burning building - someone on the front of a Blue Oyster Cult record was next to an Iggy Pop album called 'Fire Engine' which he'd substituted as real fire - when he decided he was hungry. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in; but Harvey wasn't back and he'd said that his meeting would only take about 45 minutes. Mike was really hungry though. Even if it was just an apple or something, he wanted to eat.<p>

He walked out and saw that Donna was gone. Hoping she'd gone to get food, he climbed onto her chair and sat there, swinging his legs until the chair spun. It stopped dead on it's second spin, and Mike looked up to see Louis stood there, clutching the chair.

"I'm sure Harvey wouldn't be happy if he knew you weren't in his office," he said.

"I'm waiting for Donna," Mike explained, hands clasped in his lap around his fire truck. "I'm hungry."

"Well, I could always... no, it doesn't matter," Louis tapered off.

Curiosity piqued, Mike's eyes widened. "What?"

"Well, it's just that I have a whole packet of chocolate in my office - I'd say you could have some if you did some work, but I know Harvey doesn't want you to, so - "

"No, I'll come!" Mike said hurriedly, climbing off the chair; stomach growling when he thought of chocolate. "I can do work!"

Louis grinned as they walked to his office. He usually didn't have to bribe people do work; hell, he could snap his fingers and about three associates at once would come over. That's why he wanted Mike Ross so badly. Harvey's golden boy seemed to think he was exempt from Louis' command. He was going to stick it Harvey and get some good work, all because Mike Ross would cave for a piece of chocolate.

* * *

><p>Louis was beginning to think that maybe having a child with an adult's mind working on files in his office wasn't the best idea. The kid had guzzled loads of chocolate and was now sticky, thus getting it all over his furniture, and there were greasy chocolate fingerprints on his glass coffee table. And the kid would <em>not <em>shut up. He was babbling much like Louis had seen him do normally when he walked past Harvey's office on a night, and Mike had clearly been up for days.

He'd barely gotten any of the work done, and was starting to regret giving him chocolate. Although, the chocolate was mixed with the kid's _incessant _desire to have a nap. "But I'm _tired_, Louis!" Mike complained, handling the framed newspaper clippings on Louis' desk, accidently dropping one.

"I don't care - associates aren't meant to get sleep," Louis growled, wishing his headache would leave.

"But Louis..." Mike whined, tears coming to his eyes.

Louis stood up and picked Mike up - it was even more of an awkward hold than Harvey's was. "Remember how you shut up in Harvey's office when you were near the window?" Louis asked, getting close to it, and holding Mike so close he felt his forehead touch the glass.

"Please don't," Mike squeaked, squeezing his eyes together tightly.

"What's wrong, Ross?" Louis asked. "Scared of heights?"

Mike shook his head but kept his eyes closed. "I want Harvey," he whimpered.

* * *

><p>A few minutes before this, Harvey was walking back from his meeting, and was met with an almost hysterical Donna. "Donna?" Harvey asked, going over to her. "What's wrong?"<p>

"Mike's gone!" She exclaimed. "I can't find him - he was in your office the last I looked and then I went to go get some snacks, because you know he'll get hungry, but when I came back he was gone!" She was panicking, and her panic was making Harvey panic. A small three year old; already confused between his three year old mind and adult mind would be nearly impossible to find in their large firm. He could have hidden anywhere.

"Calm down," he said automatically. "Where have you looked?"

"Everywhere in your office," she told him, clutching her phone. "Toilets, his cubicle - I was about to call you."

"Don't worry, we'll find him," Harvey assured her, running a hand through his hair as he turned away. He wouldn't admit it but he was slightly scared to death.

"Donna?" Rachel was walking down the corridor, a frown on her face.

"It's not a good time, Rachel," Donna mumbled, casting frantic eyes around the corridor.

"You know how we were all told that Mike's... younger now?" She asked, not witholding her shock and slight mistrust, as if they were just pretending.

"Yeah, have you seen him?" Donna asked her, as Harvey turned towards her as well, concern flickering in his eyes.

"Uh... about this big," she gestured to just above her knee, "bright blonde hair, holding a toy truck?"

"Where is he?" Harvey asked her.

"I saw him in Louis' office; I thought you'd sent him to help with the case..." she stopped as Harvey whipped past her, eyes burning. She glanced over at Donna, who closed her eyes and let out a breath. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked, concerned.

Donna nodded. "I'm fine. Better than Louis will be in a minute," she quirked her lips slightly and decided to tidy up Mike's playground in Harvey's office before the Senior Partner would notice.

* * *

><p>"I want Harvey," Mike whimpered, before suddenly feeling himself being dragged back. Louis' shoulder jerked backwards and the man spun around. Mike quickly opened his eyes to see Harvey stood there like an Ancient Greek hero.<p>

"What the hell are you doing?" Harvey asked, taking Mike from Louis' arms and holding him in an _almost_ proper manner - although Mike put this down to his being angry. To his horror, Mike found himself flinging his arms around Harvey's neck and whimpering, hiding his face just underneath Harvey's chin and shaking after being made to stay so close to the window.

"He came of his own free will to do work!" Louis said quickly. "I was just showing him the view."

"Bullshit, Louis - you're trying to make him one of the drones! Let me make it as clear as possible without going to Jessica," Harvey stepped forward, foregoing yelling to hiss menacingly instead. "If you try and get Mike to work for you - _ever_ again; I will make your life a living hell. Got that?" Louis nodded and bumped into the window trying to step back.

"Mike," Harvey said softly as he was about to leave. "You still got that truck?" Mike looked down at his hands and shook his head. His shaking was subsiding and the adrenaline and shock was also leaving, causing him to become tired. "Louis - pass Mike that truck," he nodded to the toy that was sat on the desk and Louis quickly passed it over.

Mike held it in his hands and squeezed it tightly, resting his face on Harvey's shoulder. He felt someone pat his back softly and he felt them moving, Harvey's steps slow and smooth.

"Why did you leave the office?" Harvey asked in a soft voice.

"I was hungry," Mike mumbled. "I was sat on Donna's chair and Louis said he had chocolate."

Harvey shuddered at the image of Louis offering sweets to children and was about to rub Mike's back more when he remembered that Mike had disobeyed him. And everything he read said to make sure that the child knew when they were in the wrong.

"I'm going to have a proper talk with Louis," Harvey told him as they walked towards the office, sending Donna a look that meant 'mother him later, we're busy' as she shot up from her chair. She slowly sat down, glaring at him through the glass. "But you did exactly what I told you not to do. I only gave you one rule, Mike - don't leave the office. And what did you do?"

"I left the office," Mike whispered, realising he should pull away from Harvey's shoulder before he got some sort of bodly fluid on it; be it tears, snot or slobber (he still had chocolate around his mouth and his fingers were sticky).

"Right. And why did you do that?"

"I was hungry!" Mike argued. "Donna wasn't there; I was just waiting for her."

"If both me and Donna aren't available; call one of us - you can use my office phone. Just _never _go off with Louis or leave the office without my permission. Got it?" He struggled to think of disciplinary actions and finally settled on: "I'm disappointed in you, Mike."

He flinched, thinking it would probably be better if he'd given the kid a time-out. Mike gazed up at him with big, watery eyes. "I'm sorry, Harvey," he whispered, looking down at the truck in his hands.

"Just... don't do it again - okay?" He made sure to keep his tone amiable, and Mike nodded. "So..." Harvey tried to diffuse some tension. "How do you like that truck Donna gave you?"

Mike smiled at him, and started telling him all about how he saved everyone's lives - although Iggy Pop was running amock and was only beaten by an old AC/DC record. Harvey's smile became tight and strained as he realise Mike had taken out one of his most valuable records. His tie was then tugged slightly.

"Are you listening?" Mike asked, scowling.

"Yeah, kid, don't worry," Harvey assured him. "I'm listening.

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><p><strong>AN Well this one went on a while XD I hope you all liked it; I don't know why I'm making Louis out to be so damn creepy - for the record he isn't a paedofile, he just wants to get one over on Harvey ;) And I thought that Louis bribing Mike into his office with sweets was the best thing since mini!Mike ;) So, yeah; review and tell me what you though :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Does anyone else have NOTHING to do with their lives until next Summer? :'( And I wish someone had taken at picture of my face for the last 10 seconds of the finale - my face: O.O Damn :( So we now have to rely on fanfic to get us through the days :( So, yes - everyone get on that! I want lots of bromance to tide me over! And thank you all VERY much for the reviews :)**

**I'm going to say it now before I forget: my thanks forever to my wonderful wifie, _signofthetimes _who has told me lots of small person anecdotes in order for me to understand 'the insanity of the child mind' :) **

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><p>"Mike, I have actual work to do - I can't keep my eye on you the whole day," Harvey told the small boy. Mike had been plaguing him for most of the afternoon after the Louis incident, and although Harvey didn't mind as much as he should, he was still slowly getting annoyed.<p>

"But you said you'd let me help!" Mike replied indignantly from where he was sat on the couch. Donna seemed to keep appearing with various toys and games, not to mention any physical affection she seemed sure that Mike craved. Because of this, Mike soon got through two more toy vehicles (A police car and a ferrari; the latter of which Mike excitedly drove over Harvey saying that it was probably going at _least _500 mph), a cuddly bear (which he placed to one side as soon as Donna left because Harvey's smirk was so damn annoying), some Lego (which he attempted to make into Pearson Hardman before Harvey took it away because the clacking sounds stopped him from focussing) and three jigsaws. He was now on a fourth - Donna had decided that his mind would probably be stimulated more if he had one of a building that had 10,000 pieces

"And I did let you help," Harvey said levelly, still not glancing up from the file he was reading.

"You let me highlight!" Mike argued, trying to stick a piece in his jigsaw which wouldn't go in right - he blamed his small fingers, not the fact that his child mind was believing it to be too hard and boring.

"It was a big help," Harvey told him absently, flicking through the file one more time before Donna came back in.

"Harvey, don't forget the meeting you have at 5," she reminded him. Harvey believed she only said that as a courtesy as she was more involved in cuddling Mike and giving him a cookie, which he took and smiled at Harvey, with a face that seemed to say _she likes me more than you._

"I'm sorry to break up this love-fest," Harvey said dryly, as Mike nuzzled happily into Donna's shoulder, "but I'm going now - Donna, don't get him killed."

She stared at him. "I thought you were taking him with you - I'm leaving early, remember?" Harvey cursed as he did remember. Donna had asked for the afternoon and evening off about a week ago to go to her Uncle's funeral. Harvey had offered the whole day but she had refused; wanting to be at work in order to forget about it.

"I can't take him," Harvey said. "We're meeting at an uptown bar for drinks."

"Well I'm not taking him with me to my Uncle's funeral," Donna told him.

"Guys, I'll just stay here and try and finish this jigsaw," Mike offered, even though he was sick to death of jigsaws and this one was hard. He rubbed at his eyes. He'd had a nap at about 2; which he'd pretty much had by himself, after calming down and telling Harvey about his fire truck (which he wished he hadn't, because he just _knew_ that Harvey wouldn't let him forget it when he was back to normal) he had felt incredibly tired, and seemed to recall falling asleep on Harvey's lap.

He just needed something to wake him up - four jigsaws would make anyone tired.

Harvey snorted. "Yeah, because when we left you before it went _really_ well."

"I'll just stay away from Louis!" Mike said. "And I _promise _I'll stay in here - I won't go _anywhere_."

"Not even the bathroom?" Harvey quipped, causing Mike to blush. He had been doing the first jigsaw when Donna came in and out of nowhere asked Mike if he needed to use the toilet. After explaining to Harvey - who also looked confused - that her small nephew needed constant reminders, Mike was already tugging on her hand, suddenly realising just how much he needed to go.

"Mike, you need to be with an adult," Donna told him, placing him back on the floor.

"I _am _an adult," Mike pouted.

"I know, sweetie," Donna said patronisingly. "But you need to be with someone who can actually open a door without having to jump or stand on their tiptoes."

Mike glared at her.

"How about Rachel?" She offered, already getting her phone out to text the paralegal. "I know she's working late tonight."

"Working 'late'? How long are you going to be?" Mike looked over at Harvey.

"This client likes to do business after a few whiskies - he's a slow drinker," Harvey told him, already grabbing some files so he could leave. "I'll come back for you though," he reassured Mike.

"Thanks, because I was mostly worried about being abandoned," Mike said sarcastically, realising he _was_ quite worried about that. Harvey seemed to see through this and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll be back at about half 7. Then we'll leave," he took Donna's phone and called Rachel's number. She picked up and instantly thought it was Donna. "Hey, Rachel - no, it's Harvey Specter. Would you be able to keep and eye on Mike until I get back from a meeting?" He listened for a few seconds. "She's going to a funeral. Yeah, I'll tell her. Okay, great - thanks."

He ended the call and looked at Donna, "Rachel says she hopes you're okay and that she can take Mike," Donna nodded and smiled, before taking her leave and giving Mike one last hug. Harvey now felt wary. Whenever it was just him and Mike without Donna being within yelling distance he felt like he could easily kill the kid or loose him. He looked down at the expectant child. "Right, you're staying with Rachel for the evening. Grab whatever and come on."

"But... me and Rachel... we have an awkward history," Mike stuttered. "She can't see me like this!"

"She already has, when you were in Louis' clutches," Harvey's tone became strained for a second before looking down. Mike was holding the ferrari toy but everything else had been left in a mess on Harvey's couch. "You don't want to bring your teddy?" Harvey teased.

"Shut up," Mike said, clearly also deliberating whether or not to bring the car. He realised that this was _Rachel _and threw it down next to the police squad car.

"You sure you don't want to take anything else?" Harvey asked, picking up one last file and securing it under his arm.

"I'm sure - let's _go_," Mike insisted, surprised when Harvey grabbed his hand. "Um... why are we holding hands?"

"In case you wander off again," Harvey told him, walking out of his office and towards Rachel's.

"I'm not going to wander off again," Mike insisted.

"Sure you're not. I just need to make sure you actually _get _to Rachel's office," Harvey said. "Then I can tell Donna that I didn't let you loose in the firm or lost you."

Harvey was feeling rather unsure of leaving Mike now. It was different when his meeting that morning had been inside the firm. But with both him and Donna outside of the building, he was starting to worry. Was this how parents felt leaving their kids with babysitters for the first time? He immediately shook that thought from his mind. He did _not _want to compare himself to a parent. He was also wary that Louis would try something again. After the scare they had in the morning, Harvey wanted nothing more than to keep Mike on the leash Donna had bought. He bit back a laugh as he imagined it, but then also remembered he'd asked Donna to try and tell Mike he needed to wear pull-ups for bed. Cursing his memory, he made a note on his phone to buy some before coming back and convincing Mike himself. That should be fun.

Harvey knocked on Rachel's door and walked in. "Hi," she smiled at him and looked down to see Mike pressing himself to Harvey's leg as if he was worried. "Hey, Mike - you okay?"

He nodded and pulled his hand out of Harvey's, clearly hoping she hadn't seen him holding it. "I've set up a space here you can sit," she told him, pointing to an empty space on her desk with a chair. "You got anything to do?" She asked him, seeing he was empty handed. He shook his head.

"Mike, I know you can talk in actual sentences; you pick _now _of all time not to talk?" Harvey said. "After you wouldn't shut up all afternoon?"

Mike scowled but looked at Rachel. "I can help with any work," he told her eagerly. "I haven't been able to do much, but I can highlight."

She giggled and look over at Harvey. "If you have a meeting you can go," she said. "Don't worry, we'll be fine."

Harvey took this as his cue and nodded, looking at Mike for a split-second with a face that clearly said _behave or else_.

Rachel smiled at Mike as Harvey left. "_Someone's _acting like a momma bear," she joked.

"Tell me about it," Mike replied moodily, climbing onto the chair that had been assigned to him. "I haven't been able to go out of his office all day without either him or Donna. This is nice," he said suddenly. "I haven't seen you in a while."

She smiled at him. "So, I don't have anything to highlight," she said to him. "But I do have some numbers that need to be remembered, if you still have that big memory of yours."

"I can remember every licence plate on the cars parked outside the firm," he told her confidently.

"Let's do this," she said.

* * *

><p>After about an hour, and after she had managed to find something for Mike to eat, drink and after he had come back from the bathroom, Rachel decided to do something fun. The stuff she was working on could honestly wait until tomorrow, and her interactions with her four year old niece convinced her that Mike would soon be bored to tears. Perhaps even literally.<p>

"Mike, I know you're not completely a toddler," she told him, not being able to keep the slight guilty look off her face. As well as the look that meant she was about to indulge in her nurturing side. " But would you like to do something fun?"

"Such as?" Mike asked, fidgeting in his seat. As nice as it was with Rachel, he was constantly thinking about when Harvey would come back. He hoped whatever they were about to do would keep his mind off it.

"I heard that the downstairs library is empty, and I've got some pieces of A3 paper that need using up," she explained. "And I have some coloured pens from my drawer - there's even some glitter in Donna's desk; don't ask me why, and I've got some glue."

"Are you honestly suggesting that we do some sort of arts and crafts in the downstairs library?" Mike asked.

"Why not?" She shrugged. "No one's in there. And if you're careful it won't take long to clear away. How about it?"

Mike blinked. "Sure," he agreed, jumping off his chair. "I'll go get the glitter."

"And I'll get my glue," she told him. "Meet me back here in half a minute."

Mike happily left the office to go search Donna's desk. He felt free; and he liked that Rachel trusted him enough to walk down to Donna's desk without anyone else. Sure, it could be seen as irresponsible, but Mike was just happy to be out from underneath closely-observing eyes.

He managed to find the glitter and hurried back to Rachel, who was stood in front of her office with a pack of pens, some glue and the paper. She smiled at him and held out her hand. He made sure he was clutching tightly to the glitter before reaching out and holding on to her hand as they walked down to the library.

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><p>"Are you actually drawing what I think you're drawing?" Rachel giggled, watching Mike doodle. Even though she knew he was still Mike inside, and that he retained some dexterity, she still smiled to see the little boy's drawings, as they weren't as bad as a normal three year old's. They were still pretty standard though.<p>

"Harvey's acting like a mother, he can look like a mother," Mike told her, as she recognised the three piece suit that Mike had been drawing. He stuck his tongue out as he concentrated and grabbed the glue, making sure it was all over the picture before adding the glitter. He hadn't banked on the lid being loose and popping off, dumping all the glitter onto his picture. "Oops."

"I'll go find a janitor," Rachel told him, getting up. It was now half 7 (_when Harvey said he should be back, _Mike thought desperately) and although there was a good number of associates left, the lights were being turned off in rooms they weren't needed in and the janitors were making their rounds. Mike looked down at his picture, and could feel his lip trembling.

"I couldn't find one," Rachel said. "But I've got a trash can - we can just sweep it up into that. Are you okay?" She asked, noticing he didn't seem that happy that their glitter problem was solved.

"It's nothing," he said quietly, hoping he wouldn't burst into tears in front of her. "I just ruined my picture."

If Rachel's experience with her niece had taught her anything, it was that she had to reassure Mike that his picture was _fine_, it wasn't ruined in the slightest. "No, no you haven't, Mike - I bet it'll look great as soon as we get all of this excess glitter off - Donna's going to kill me," she sighed, looking at the empty glitter pot. She had no idea what Donna wanted with it, but she knew she had better replace it soon.

"Not as much as I will when you explain why you didn't think it necessary to tell me you were relocating," Harvey's voice sailed through the air as he stood in the doorway, hands in pockets. The only hint that he had been worried when he had come across the empty room was that his hair looked as though his hands had ran through it one too many times.

"Harvey!" Mike wanted to kill himself when he realised just how happy he sounded to see that Harvey was back. What was worse was that he jumped off the chair and ran to wrap his arms around the older man's leg.

"If I'd known you hated Rachel this much I'd have made you work with her much more often," Harvey told him, smirking. He glanced up and noticed that Rachel was sweeping glitter into a trash can. "What's that? Is that Donna's glitter?"

"Does she need it?" Mike asked. Upon seeing Harvey's grim face he swallowed. "Rachel, I think we'd better buy some more."

Rachel laughed slightly. "Well I got most of it off the table - and see? Your picture's fine."

Harvey raised an eyebrow. "You've been drawing pictures?"

Mike shrugged. "It was just to have something to do. Mine's not really great anyway," he went over and tried to brush anymore glitter off it. He pouted as you could barely see the actual picture under the glitter. Harvey walked over with him and looked at it.

"Is that supposed to be me?" He asked incredulously.

"You can actually see that?" Mike asked, looking at the picture himself. "Wow," he sighed. "It's rubbish though."

"No, it's not!" Rachel told him, before looking at Harvey significantly. "It's a great picture, right?"

Harvey was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didn't want anyone knowing he could potentially possess a heart and _care _about his associate; but then Mike was staring at him with large eyes, windering if Harvey was actually going to say he liked it.

Harvey knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

"It's great, kid," he said gruffly, picking Mike up, who in turn was clutching his picture. "If you show Donna she'll probably try and put it on the fridge in the break room," he wanted to laugh at Mike's face as he said that. "C'mon; we should go. Thanks, by the way," he said to Rachel, who looked stunned.

"No problem," she said, giving Mike a small wave as Harvey left.

* * *

><p>"How was your meeting?" Mike asked him as they got into the apartment.<p>

"Exhausting," Harvey replied, sinking down onto the couch with one hand over his eyes. "We settled on a deal, but that man has got to be one of the most boring in the world - I needed that whisky."

Mike crawled onto the couch to sit next to him. "So is it your bedtime?" He asked with a smirk. Harvey groaned and sat back up.

"I forgot about that," he sighed, standing. "It's bedtime for associates."

"Actually it's _dinnertime _for associates," Mike told him, his stomach growling to make a point. Harvey wanted nothing more than to slam his head off a wall. The doorbell rang and he felt like actually committing suicide. When he answered, he was surprised to find Donna stood there.

"You can take that look off your face right now," she warned, before passing him a bag.

"Donna - the funeral," Harvey began looking into the bag. God bless the woman who had given him a pack of pull-ups, yet more things to keep Mike busy and some _food_.

"Come on, Harvey, it finished hours ago - and don't think I would have forgotten to check and make sure you hadn't killed him. Want me to tell him to put the pull-ups on?" Harvey felt like kissing her. He ushered her inside and gently pushed her in Mike's direction as he pulled the food out and prepared it. He listened as Mike was telling Donna about the drawings he and Rachel had done, and he chuckled as he heard Mike accidently let slip about the spilt glitter. Then he nearly dropped the plate he was carrying as Mike yelled out loudly.

"What? No way! It was a one time thing!" Harvey placed the plate carefully on his table and turned to watch as Donna was whispering furiously with Mike.

"Mike, it's not your fault, and I know it's embarrassing, but you have to wear it," she told him. "You want Harvey to wash the bedsheets every day? I doubt he has enough!" Harvey smirked as he realised that she was probably right.

"But it's not fair," Mike whined in a small voice.

"Oh, I know, sweetie," Donna said comfortingly. "How about a deal? You wear them to bed, and Harvey will read you a bedtime story," Harvey raised his eyebrows. He would, would he? His jaw dropped as he saw that Mike was actually considering this.

"I don't think he will," Mike told her, but his face lit up as she presented him with some books that she had bought before coming over. He looked through them and frowned a bit. "They're really girly," he complained.

"What?" Donna's voice was low.

He quickly tracked back. "I mean, they're childish."

"I hope you aren't expecting me to read you some Vonnegut," Harvey told him, nodding his head down to the plate of food in front of him on the table. Mike leapt up and climbed on the chair. "And I think I have 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' somewhere. But you probably read them in elementary school," he sniped.

Mike shook his head. "Don't be silly - I read them in Middle School," he then proceeded to spill some food down his top.

"Of course you did," Harvey sighed, taking the tissue Donna offered him and wiping the top. His head hurt from tiredness, and all he really wanted to do was sleep. Hopefully, Mike would fall asleep before he asked for a story.

"Harvey, I'm going to go - Michael if I hear from Harvey that you didn't cooperate..." she warned him, holding up a finger. Harvey sighed again. Of course that had been the deal. It couldn't have been - if you wear the pull-up then Harvey will go to sleep. He scrubbed at his face and looked over at Mike, who had quickly finished his food.

"Right - bedtime," Harvey said quickly.

"But I'm not tired," Mike blinked at him.

"Did I ask if you were?" Harvey growled, the lack of sleep making him grumpy. "And anyway - I'm tired, so you're going to bed whether you want to or not. Got it?" Mike sighed but nodded, going into the bathroom to clean his teeth. As he was doing that, Harvey put the plate in the dishwasher. He was hungry, but he was too tired to do anything - he once again thanked the heavens for Donna. If she hadn't arrived, then Mike would probably be going hungry too.

"Harvey?" He looked down to see Mike stood in front of him (He had stood in the kitchen with his eyes closed, hoping this would guarantee sleep). The kid had toothpaste all over his face.

"C'mere," Harvey grabbed a clean cloth and ran warm water over it before crouching and wiping all the toothpaste off. "Right - get your pyjamas on, go to the toilet and I might read one of the books that Donna brought. If only to coerce you into our deal," Mike frowned but nodded, going back into the bathroom. Harvey grabbed a pull-up from the bag and threw it in the bathroom with him, eliciting a small squeak as it must have hit the small boy.

Harvey walked over to the couch and plonked himself down, sliding down and feeling parts of his back relax, making him want to purr like a cat. He wanted to get up and pour himself a drink, but he was too comfortable to be moved. Just as sleep was claiming him, he felt a small hand prodding his arm. He opened his eyes to see Mike stood in front of him, pyjamas on.

"Are you wearing - "

"Yes, Harvey," he frowned, annoyed at the item of clothing in question. He then pulled a book out of the bag and thrust it at Harvey. "You promised," he warned, climbing up to sit next to Harvey.

The older man groaned but realised he had no choice. He looked down as Mike was getting comfortable to find Donna had bought 'Goodnight Moon' - the go-to book for any parent. At least it wasn't very long. Although Harvey wasn't sure what he had been expecting; it wasn't as if the kid had wanted him to read 'War and Peace'.

Harvey opened the book and flicked to the first page. He felt Mike shuffling closer - presumably so he could see the pictures. "Ready?" Harvey asked. Mike nodded and gazed at the colourful illustrations. "Right," Harvey said. "_In the great green room there was a telephone..._"

Mike listened as Harvey started reading, looking at the pictures and spotting bits he hadn't noticed before, such as a picture of the book they were reading _inside _the book they were reading. Harvey was actually quite good at reading out loud, Mike decided; he put different inflections into his voice and the rhythm flowed. Harvey hands were lowering, so Mike decided to climb into his lap to see the pictures properly. He liked reading the words as they were being spoken, and gently traced them with his finger as Harvey said them. The older man seemed amused by this, and let Mike turn the pages.

"_Goodnight, cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light, and red balloon..._" Harvey voice tapered off and when Mike turned the page the book just fell out of Harvey's hands. He looked up, thinking that the older man was dying, and grinned as Harvey's head was tilted to the side, breathing deeply as he fell asleep. Mike gently got off his lap - unwrapping one of Harvey's arms off him that at some point had snaked around him. He picked the book back up and climbed back onto Harvey's lap.

"_Good night, bears. Good night, chairs. Good night, kittens. Good night, mittens..._" Mike decided that someone should finish the story, and he had never read a bedtime story to anyone before. He kept glancing up at Harvey, just to make sure he was asleep. "_Good night, clocks. Good night, socks. Good night, little house. Good night, mouse..._"

When Mike finally finished with; "_Good night, stars. Good night, air. Good night, noises everywhere,_" he shivered, realising that Harvey's body heat wasn't enough to keep him warm. And now Harvey was fast asleep - and Mike liked to think he'd helped to make his sleep a pleasant one after being read a bedtime story - he decided he should probably go to sleep too. However, he didn't want to leave Harvey to be so cold. He decided he should probably wrap him up in something.

And besides - everyone liked being tucked in.

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><p>When Harvey woke up, he noticed sun streaming through his windows. He had thought he'd only been asleep for a few minutes, and his first thought was that Mike needed to go to bed. He then looked down to find that there was a duvet on him. His duvet, to be exact. He didn't remember getting that. He then felt something on his side, and looked down to see that Mike had curled up beside him, snuggling into his waist and sucking his thumb.<p>

He wanted to kick himself for falling asleep halfway through the book and leaving Mike on his own, but he couldn't help but smile as he realised that Mike had not only dragged his duvet over him, he had also decided he didn't want to sleep in the bed alone, and so had come out to sleep next to Harvey.

The book he had been reading had been carefully placed to one side, and Harvey didn't remember finishing it. _The kid's going to have my ass about that_, he thought, amused. He heard Mike yawn and looked down.

"Morning," Harvey said to him, slowly standing up and realising he'd slept in his suit. Mike rubbed at his eyes and gave a small smile. "Sleep well?" He asked, about to have a shower.

Mike nodded. "That story always made me tired - guess it still does some people, huh?" He grinned slyly at Harvey.

"You tease me, you won't be read to again," Harvey told him good-naturedly.

"You were - you're planning on reading to me again?" Mike asked, running a hand through his seriously messy hair.

"Don't you want me to?" Harvey asked. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he had liked reading to the kid, having him sit in his lap and silently read along had been what had made him so content - content enough to fall asleep, but he was still content.

"I - yeah; will you read again tonight?" Mike asked.

"I can get some different books, if you want," Harvey told him. "More adult?"

"Can we - can we read 'Goodnight Moon' again?" Mike asked him shyly.

"Sure thing, kid," Harvey replied softly. "Sure we can."

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><p><strong>AN Don't shoot me but I have never once in my life opened a copy of 'Goodnight Moon'. I had to research on Google and find out what it says inside it XD If for some reason the words are wrong I deeply apologise :P But tell me what you think! The image of Mike turning the pages over and reading along with Harvey was too cute to pass up :3 So, yeah - please review? :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N You guys - thank you all SO much for the reviews :D You have no idea how much I love you and them all, and how motivated they keep me :3 As a present; have some deliciously awesome cranky!Mike :)**

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><p>"Well?" Donna asked as Harvey and Mike arrived that morning. Harvey cocked an eyebrow and passed Mike the files he'd been carrying.<p>

"Put these in my office," Mike frowned but did so, leaving both adults to talk.

"Well what?" Harvey asked.

"Well did my bribe pay off?" Donna asked, desperate to know what happened.

"You mean did he wear a pull-up?" Harvey tried to confirm. After he'd had a shower he had come back into his living room to find that Mike had fallen asleep again, curling up in the spot that he himself had jsut vacated. Picking the small boy up, he realised that having him put a pull-up on had been a good move - his couch had been expensive. He had shaken Mike slightly to wake him up and frowned as Mike gave a small whine. He knew the kid had probably fallen asleep later than usual last night; and they were waking up early so they could go into work; maybe Mike just needed a bit more sleep. He had made the boy go get changed and he heard him muttering darkly at the pull-up.

"Harvey, I know you would have made him wear the pull-up regardless - I mean did he make sure you read to him?" Donna asked eagerly. She had chosen very specific bedtime stories and she hoped that Harvey had read one of them.

"Well he insisted on it - it was the only way to get him to bed so that I could sleep," Harvey said gruffly, taking some mail that she passed him.

"Which one?" She asked curiously.

"Why does this matter?" Harvey countered.

"I just wondered," she held her hands out placatingly. "I mean; did he like it? Did it send him to sleep?"

"Yes, can I leave now?" He asked, turning towards his office regardless of her answer. He did _not _want Donna finding out he had fallen asleep and left Mike to it for god knows how long. He went into his office to find that the files he'd given Mike had been unceremoniously dumped on the coffee table. The boy in question was sat on the couch, holding the bear he had left the other day with mild distaste. He was still frowning, and Harvey _really _hoped he wouldn't be difficult. He had just about coped so far with a happy albeit talkative little boy, and he wasn't sure he was ready for an angry one.

"You alright, Mike?" Harvey asked cautiously, as if he was diffusing a bomb.

Mike glared at him. "Fine," he muttered, going back to squeezing the bear. Harvey was ready to let it go and start work, before Mike just snapped and threw the bear down. "Actually," he snarled. "No, I'm not. Everyone's treating me like a little kid, and I'm _sick _of it! For one, Donna is giving me all these toys and expecting me to play with them - Louis thinks he can manhandle me and bribe me just because I'm small now - and _you_," he was now yelling, standing up and glaring at Harvey, his hands shaking in anger. "You think that you can just treat me like a kid too! You don't let me help with work, you pass me off to Rachel to be babysat - you read me a bedtime story and bathe me, you make me wear _pull-ups_, you make me sit in a car seat and I'm _too little _to see you properly over your desk!"

Mike's torrent of words had been getting louder throughout, and he had started to turn red as he was yelling. Tears had been steadily building in his eyes when he was yelling, and he was so _god damn_ tired. He could feel his hands shaking and pulled them up to rub at his eyes, hoping to stop the tears before they fell. He was too late, and as they leaked out he just became more frustrated with his plight.

"Mike; we've tried to make this easy on you - don't you get that? Myself and Donna have been trying our best to make sure you're okay until you're back to normal and can look after yourself - and if I recall; you _wanted _me to read to you last night, and bathing you is just to make sure you don't die in the bath. So don't sit there and yell at me; painting yourself as the victim. Get off your high horse, kid - don't be such a selfish brat," Harvey said this slightly menacingly, holding up a hand to Donna who was stood at the door after she heard Mike's yelling. He was hoping that his telling-off would knock some sense back into Mike.

Apparently it didn't.

"Screw you, Harvey," he growled, rubbing at his eyes again.

Harvey felt anger welling up inside of him and closed his eyes to try and become calmer. He didn't know what was wrong with the kid but he didn't want to explode and have all the trust he'd worked up with little Mike to dissolve in an instant.

"Donna; make sure he doesn't go anywhere," Harvey said, making up his mind. She nodded and fixed Mike with a steely gaze - _daring _him to try something. Harvey went to Jessica's office and saw she was in there with a client. He knocked and went in when she nodded.

"Harvey - can I help you?" She asked, just as the client was signing something.

"I need to borrow this foot stool," he told her, picking it up and carrying it away.

"Why?" She asked, as the client also looked at him as if he was mad.

"I need to make a time-out corner," Harvey said in a low voice, leaving before he could hear her chuckle. He ignored everyone who was staring at him for carrying a stool around and soon arrived back at his office. Donna was still stood at the door, her arms folded, and Mike was sat on the couch - his arms folded too. He was pouting and grinding his teeth, refusing to speak to anyone. Harvey quickly deposited the stool in a corner - not one near a window - and went over to Mike. His research had said that he needed to make sure that the kid knew exactly why they were being punished, and so Harvey; although he hated stating the obvious; did so.

"Mike, you act like a toddler; you'll be punished like one. I understand that you're finding it difficult right now; but that's no excuse. So guess what? You've earned yourself a time-out," he wanted to chuckle at the shocked face Mike stared up at him with. "I mean it," Harvey told him. "Your ass, that stool, ten minutes, no talking. Go."

Mike glared at him defiantly and looked away, determined to not move from his seat on the couch. Sighing, Harvey looked over at Donna. She mimed picking Mike up, so Harvey scooped him up.

"Hey, get off!" Mike thrashed around, trying to break free from Harvey's hold. He ended up kicking Harvey in the stomach by accident, resulting in him giving a small 'oof' as some of the breath was knocked out of him. He resolutely placed Mike on the stool and grabbed a small clock on his desk, placing it in front of Mike.

"When it gets to half past," he pointed at the clock. "You can come out. Now sit and be quiet."

"But you said _ten _minutes!" Mike wailed from where he was sat.

"That was before you refused and then kicked me," Harvey told him, walking over to his desk. "Now it's fifteen."

"But that's not fair!" He cried.

"You want to make it twenty?"

Mike closed his mouth but couldn't stop his sobbing, drumming his feet against the stool in anger. Donna's eyes were wide at his behaviour, but she slipped out, confident that Harvey had everything under control. Harvey made sure he didn't give Mike the satisfaction of looking over or acknowledging his behaviour. He read through the same sentence three times before realising none of it was going in and so opened his laptop, looking up advice on dealing with tantrums. He assumed it would be easier with Mike, seeing as he was still an adult; but apparently anyone with a three year old's body and part-mentality will act like a three year old with not enough sleep.

He found something that said to give the child affection after the punishment. Harvey had an awful vision of _cuddling _the little boy and quickly decided that Donna could be in charge of that. However, he was wondering if it were possible to just send Mike back to that scientist and just let her keep him. The toddler wouldn't shut up. Although Harvey had said 'no talking', he should have said said 'no noise'. Mike was still wailing, and if he _was _talking, then there were no words that Harvey could discern from the jumble.

Then, Mike decided it would be a good idea if he was _more _defiant and got off the stool, attempting to leave the office. He may have had the head start but Harvey was just as quick, and soon grabbed Mike.

"Funny," he said, "I could have sworn I said half past. It's only twenty past; and I specifically said not to move until then. So I'm wondering why you aren't doing as you're told."

Mike tried to thrash again, even attempted to sit down so that Harvey couldn't drag him, but Harvey simply walked back and placed him on the stool. "Half past," he said firmly, going back to his desk.

"I _hate _you!" Mike cried, rubbing at his eyes and sobbing some more. "I want my dad!" He suddenly shut up; realising what he had said. His childlike brain was trying to figure out _why _he couldn't have his Dad, and his adult mind was amazed that he'd yelled that at Harvey. He burst into a fresh round of noisy sobs upon his realisation that; however much he wanted his dad, he wasn't going to see him.

Harvey too, had realised this, and he'd be damned if he said his heart hadn't broken. Mike could say whatever he wanted about him - plenty of people hated him - but the poor kid wanting his parents and yet still knowing that they were dead; Harvey could actually feel the need in him to cuddle the small boy. He crushed his hands into fists and stared at his screen until the words blurred. He glanced over and saw Donna sat at her desk, trying to hide the fact that she was crying as she heard this. Harvey was going to have to buy _so _many flowers.

Finally - _finally _it was half past, and Mike looked over at Harvey and was given a nod, as he hastily got off the stool. Harvey cleared his throat awkwardly and said; "Mike, I know - I know it's not easy for you, but - "

"Save it, Harvey," he sniffed, hiccuping. "It's just my stupid childish brain - I know my dad's dead. I know he's not coming back. Just save it," he sat on the couch, picking up the bear that he had so hated when he was first given it and giving it a miserable hug, rubbing his nose on it - making Harvey wince as that was probably now incredibly snotty.

"Do you not think you should apologise?" Harvey persevered.

Mike glared at him and said nothing. He wanted to apologise. He wanted to throw himself down on the floor and beg forgiveness, but he was being stopped by something. Whether it was stubborness or just plain tiredness he didn't know. He felt his eyes watering again and huffed, looking down at his bear.

"Maybe you should have a nap," Harvey offered, trying to keep his tone neutral. At this point he was ready to send the kid to Louis for the day.

"I don't want a nap, thank you," Mike told him, through gritted teeth. "I'll keep doing this jigsaw that Donna got me."

Harvey shrugged. He couldn't force the kid to sleep. He knew this was partly his fault - if he'd just been more responsible and made sure the kid went to sleep, rather than falling asleep before him; or if he'd left Mike to sleep that morning and told Donna he'd be in later. It was Mike's loss if he didn't want to sleep.

* * *

><p>Harvey came to the realisation that it wasn't Mike's loss - it was his. He had a headache from the yelling and he was completely <em>sick <em>of saying the words, "Time-out."

It was now the afternoon, and no amount of bribing, cajoling, threatening or anything else worked in trying to get Mike to sleep. Or at least behave. He was acting like a public menace. He threw the toy cars he had everywhere, threw the jigsaw pieces, shouted at Donna, burst the juice box she gave him, refused to even _talk _to Harvey, and every time he was issued with a time-out he went in bawling and came out sullen - it never seemed to have an effect.

The final straw for Harvey came when Jessica came in to see if she was getting her foot stool back at all. Mike sat on the couch and glowered at her, spilling apple juice on the table as he held the juice box too tightly. Jessica couldn't help but give a small smile at Harvey, who looked even more tired and frustrated than Mike.

"You're not giving Harvey an easy time today," she said to Mike. Everything about her demanded respect, but to Mike's child mind, she was just another adult who seemed equally annoying and he wanted everyone to go away.

"Shut up," he muttered, turning away and feeling yet more tears come to his eyes. He had a bad headache from the tiredness and crying and he just wanted to be left alone.

"Michael..." Harvey said in a warning.

"Screw you, Harvey - you're not my parent, quite acting like it."

"I think Harvey's just trying to help," Jessica told him, her hands on her hips.

"No he's not - and neither are you. Why are you here? Just come to treat me like a kid? Like everyone else? Go screw yourself," whilst Jessica was shocked at this, Harvey stood up and picked the boy up without any comfort being offered and placed him on Jessica's foot rest.

"Time-out; ten minutes," Harvey said. Mike started to bawl again. He was starting to realise that he _really _didn't like time-outs. Being in time-out meant sitting in a corner, not being able to talk. And it made him cry harder, which hurt his head more. He placed his head in his hands and sobbed.

"He's tired," Harvey explained to Jessica. "He doesn't mean it - we've been trying to get him to sleep, but he's not helping."

"Just try and calm him down," Jessica advised. "Eventually you'll get through to him. He'll realise that he's in the wrong for yelling," she gave Harvey a reassuring smile before leaving.

Harvey felt like hitting his head off his desk. Instead, he took some painkillers and went back to the brief he had been reading. The minutes ticked by, and he realised that Mike wasn't kicking the chair, or yelling that he hated the older man. He was just crying, and looking remorseful. Harvey hoped he was getting somewhere.

As soon as the ten minutes were up, rather than getting off the stool and walking back to the couch, which was what he had been doing before, Mike leapt off and threw himself at Harvey.

"I'm sorry!" He bawled, hiding his face in Harvey's leg. "I'm _really _sorry!" Harvey felt like a God; _finally _getting somewhere with Mike.

"You realise your behaviour has been awful?" Harvey asked, looking down at Mike.

The little boy nodded and looked up at Harvey pitifully, his eyes watery and red, his nose running slightly, and said; "I'll be good now," it was little more than a whisper, but Harvey felt his heart snap slightly - he hoped it was just indigestion.

However, it didn't stop him picking Mike up and letting him sit on his lap, as the little boy snuffled and hid his face on Harvey's chest, clutching at his suit jacket. "I'm sorry," he whispered again.

"It's fine, kiddo," Harvey said softly, feeling any frustration run out of him. "You're just tired; have a nap."

"I want to stay with you," he whimpered, causing Harvey to swallow slightly.

"The couch is more comfortable than I am," he said.

He felt Mike shake his head. "'S'not."

And apparently that was that.

* * *

><p>After three hours Mike woke up. He had originally fallen asleep on Harvey, but he woke up on the couch, covered in a blue blanket that he hadn't seen before. "Harvey?" He whispered, looking around the darkened office. There was no one there. "Harvey!"<p>

The door opened and Mike relaxed as the well-dressed figure glided into the room. "What?"

Mike blushed. How was he supposed to explain to his boss that he was worried he'd been abandoned for being naughty? "I just... I thought maybe you'd left," he said lamely.

Harvey raised an eyebrow. "Grab your things," he nodded towards the toys that had been thrown around the room. "We've got a meeting."

"You're letting me come to see a client?" Mike asked excitedly, clutching the bear that he was now very fond of to his chest.

Harvey smirked. "You ready?" Mike nodded and went over to Harvey, taking his hand a smiling up at him. He felt awful about how he'd acted, and how patient Harvey had been; he felt the need to make it up to him and behave. The first thing to do; making sure he stayed in sight.

They left the office, and Harvey threw Donna a goodbye over his shoulder. Mike gave her a small hug, and a quiet apology which she accepted readily. She couldn't stay mad at him. Getting the elevator, Mike became curious. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Harvey said, trying to ignore the fact that Louis got in behind them. However much Harvey wanted to, he could shake Mike's hand off his own, and just hoped that Louis didn't notice. Mike saw Louis however, and shuffled closer to Harvey, chewing the ear of his teddy nervously. Harvey tsked and pulled it out of his mouth.

"Fun day, Harvey?" Louis asked, glancing down at Mike. "Everyone heard your little domestic - clearly the great Harvey Specter isn't that good at parenting."

Harvey half wanted to agree - he knew he could barely keep the kid alive. But the other half wanted to punch him. He hadn't been doing that badly really - for a guy who had never had any sort of contact with children, Harvey thought he'd managed quite well. While he was making up his mind, he hear Louis make an odd sound. He looked over and felt his lips wobbling as he tried to stop from laughing. Mike had kicked Louis, and was now throwing abuse at him.

"Harvey's great at parenting! I haven't died yet, and he's certainly managed a lot better than _you_! When you were threatening me, or holding me by that window; Harvey's _awesome _with kids!" Whilst it was untrue, Harvey felt happy that Mike was sticking up for him. The elevator doors opened and Harvey hurried Mike out before he could kick Louis again. Although it would be fun to watch, he knew Mike's life would be hell for a while after everything turned normal.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Harvey said proudly.

Mike grinned up at him.

* * *

><p>"Mike, we're here," Harvey gently shook him, as he had managed to fall asleep again, even in the uncomfortable car seat. Mike sat up and rubbed at his eyes.<p>

"Still tired," he grumbled, fiddling with the strap until Harvey unfastened him.

"I know," Harvey said. "You can have an early night tonight."

"Can we still read again?" Mike asked. "You didn't finish it."

"I know," Harvey said again, sighing. "And if I fall asleep this time, I expect you to wake me up - you should have done that in the first place, rather than stay awake yourself. That's why you were so cranky."

"I hate the word 'cranky'," Mike muttered, hopping out the car. "It makes me sound even more like a toddler," he gasped as he realised where he was. Turning around, he ran over to Harvey and threw himself at the older man's legs. "Thank you!"

Harvey shrugged as if it were nothing. "I knew you hadn't seen her in a while. And I called her and explained the situation," after Mike had said he wanted his father, Harvey had called the Care Home and spoken to Mike's Grandmother, and told her everything. After eventually realising that Harvey wasn't lying, she was eager to see her small grandson.

"Harvey, come on!" Mike tugged at his leg before taking his hand and pulling him, still having one arm fixed firmly around his teddy. Harvey chuckled but followed him into the care home, stopping at the desk.

"Hi, we're here to see Mary Ross?" Harvey said to the nurse on call, who smiled at him.

"Yep, she said she was expecting guests - go on through, honey," she smiled once more and pointed down the hall. "You know where to go?" Mike nodded and pulled at Harvey's hand.

"We know where to go," Harvey assured her, and in no time at all they were walking into the elderly woman's room.

"Is that my Michael?" Harvey heard the woman say and smiled. Mike let go of his hand and rushed in.

"Hey, Grammy!" He lunged for the bed but couldn't get up, causing Harvey to quickly make his entrance in order to place Mike on the bed. Mike hugged his grandmother, as she ruffled his hair and smiled at Harvey.

"Mr Specter - it's nice to finally meet you, Michael was telling me all about you," she smiled as Mike squirmed awkwardly.

"I assure you whatever he said is a lie. I'm not _that _much of a slave-driver," Harvey told her, deciding to sit down on a chair near the bed. The elderly woman smiled at him before turning her attention to Mike, who was simply sat resting against her. It felt good to just sit against her like this, he decided. It had been years since he could just lie next to her peacefully.

Harvey watched as Mike interacted with his grandmother, smiling as Mike shyly mentioned all the time-outs he'd had that day. His grandmother gave him a small scolding for, "giving Mr Specter so much trouble," but her eyes were twinkling and Harvey knew that Mike saw that.

After half an hour, Mike's head was bobbing as he tried to stay awake. "You make sure my grandson is well rested!" She threatened Harvey.

"I'll make sure he goes to bed early," he promised her, carefully picking Mike up from where he had fallen asleep against his grandmother. He paused. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded. "His parents... do you have any pictures of them? Or anything they used to say to him to calm him down?" He flushed slightly asking, but after Mike had said he wanted his dad, Harvey had been thinking of ways to help the childish mind cope with the lack of parents.

The elderly woman thought hard, pursing her lips. "I don't think so," she said regretfully. "His father - my son - used to call him Mikey, but he just outgrew that. And I have some pictures in this drawer here," she motioned towards the drawer and Harvey opened it, pulling out a picture of Mike with his parents - he looked the same age he was now.

"Can I... hang onto this?" Harvey asked. "I'll give you it back as soon as he's normal again, but - "

"Go ahead, Mr Specter," she prompted. "Anything to make my grandson feel safer. Although he's in good hands with you," she nodded. "I can tell," Harvey gave her a small smile before leaving.

* * *

><p>"No, I don't want to go to bed now!" Mike told him, tugging on his suit.<p>

"You've been asleep on your feet for most of the day," Harvey told him firmly. "It's bedtime," Mike pouted. "Do I need to organise another time-out?" He threatened. Mike's eyes widened and he shook his head, instead grabbing 'Goodnight Moon' and showing it to Harvey.

"Please?"

Harvey sighed pretended he was only doing it because he _had _to, but he quite happily settled on the couch with Mike on his lap. The little boy was clutching his teddy and had a hand on the book, ready to read along and turn the pages.

Harvey realised half way through that Mike had stopped following with his finger. He glanced down as he turned the page himself to see that Mike was - although awake - struggling to keep his eyes open and had one arm around the teddy, and the other up near his face as he sucked his thumb. Harvey rolled his eyes but finished reading.

"Good night, Harvey," he mumbled, after hearing the words to the story. He snuggled into Harvey's chest, and the older man was loath to move him. However, he got up and went to his bedroom, laying Mike on the bed. The kid stuck to him like a limpet though, and no matter what he did, he couldn't get Mike's clutch of his shirt off him. He ended up lying on the bed himself, with Mike lying on top of him. Finally, Mike rolled off to the side, and Harvey turned as well, lying on his side. He realised how tired he was after dealing with Mike all day.

He jumped as he was headbutted in the stomach as Mike turned and cuddled into him, but gently placed an arm over the small boy.

He just didn't want him falling out of bed.

That was it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN To those of you wondering - yes there will be a hallowe'en chapter ;) Obviously because of that there won't be a christmas (Although I have a oneshot of an xmas fic in mind - normal Mike and Harvey though :P) one, but there are other wonderful things in store :) I hope you liked this chapter - please review, cause it really does make me write faster :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N I'm glad you all like it so far, I hope you continue to like it and continue to review as awesomely as you already are :)**

* * *

><p>Harvey's cell was ringing right next to his ear. He moaned slightly and rolled over, careful not to disturb Mike. The kid moved a lot in his sleep, and had burrowed into the duvet whilst still nestling into Harvey's stomach. Picking it up and waiting for his eyes to adjust, he saw that it was Donna calling.<p>

"Donna - what?"

_"You're so cheerful on a morning," _her voice was chipper and annoying.

"What do you want, Donna?" He mumbled, placing his arm back around the bundle of duvet that was a small boy without even realising.

_"I was just wondering if you were planning on actually coming in today?" _Harvey looked at the clock.

"Shit!" He leapt out of bed, waking Mike up in the process.

_"Language, Harvey!" _Donna scolded. _"There's a child there!"_

Said child sat up in the bed, rubbing at his eyes as he watched Harvey simultaneously get dressed, talk on the phone and grab clothes for Mike. He caught the clothes that Harvey threw in his direction and looked at the digital clock. It was half past 10 in the morning. How had they slept in so late?

"Yes, Donna - he's fine. We'll be in soon. No, I don't have time! You'll - alright, but if he doesn't eat it... Well I don't know what he likes! Yes I know it's you, he'll eat whatever you tell him to... You've already called him? Okay, we'll be ready."

Harvey put the phone down and looked around to see that Mike had already gone into the bathroom and was getting dressed. Harvey quickly styled his hair. He would have made some coffee, but Donna had already called Ray and told him to meet them in front of Harvey's condo.

"Mike, hurry up - we're going any minute," he said in the general direction of the bathroom. Just as he said that Mike appeared, rubbing any lasting sleep from his eyes. He gazed up at Harvey. "What?" The older man asked, gathering Mike's shoes and pushing them on his feet none too gently.

"Are we not having breakfast?" He asked, his stomach rumbling pitifully.

Harvey sighed as he tied the knots in the shoes and stood up. "No time - Donna will have something for you at the office. Ready?" Mike looked around and grabbed his bear - which he had now called 'Harvey' considering the bear looked grumpy most of the time - Mike decided he should give it a tie at some point. Thinking hard, and noticing Harvey stood by the door, tapping his watch gently, he also grabbed a book and the toy ferrari Donna had given him.

"Ready," he said, clutching his possessions in both arms. Harvey saw this and couldn't help but snicker, as Mike kept dropping something, and as he went to pick it up, he dropped something else. Getting more and more frustrated, Mike was grumbling angrily on their way downstairs, so Harvey just scooped him up and added his hand around the items that Mike was holding.

* * *

><p>"The office is boring," Mike pouted, placing Harvey-bear to one side. Sure, he could use his imagination as a child when he needed to, but he didn't exactly want to explain to Harvey why he was making the bear trek up and down the bookshelves and it could only entertain him for so long.<p>

"See if Donna needs help," Harvey muttered without looking up from his work. Mike pouted but got up and went over to Donna, smiling as she gave him a quick smile and a pat on the head.

"Hi, Mike - you need anything?"

"Entertainment?" Mike ventured, tugging slightly on her skirt.

"What sort of entertainment?" She asked darkly, whipping it away from his hands and giving one of them a small tap.

He blushed slightly. "Nothing like that!" He stuttered. "No, I - I meant - "

"Relax, kid," she soothed, smiling slightly. "What's up?"

"I'm _bored_," he whined. "I only brought my ferrari, a book and Harvey."

Donna raised an eyebrow. "You brought Harvey?" She repeated.

Mike blushed again but nodded. "My bear. I called him Harvey," he closed his eyes and adopted a pained expression as Donna's face lit up and she gave a small 'aww'. "Don't tell him," he warned her.

She smiled at him again. "Sorry, I don't have anything you can do," she told him regretfully. "Are you sure Harvey has nothing for you to do?"

"Unless he's willing to stop working and read 'Where the Wild Things Are' with me," he muttered.

"Aw, I wish he could, sweetie," she told him, running her fingers over his shoulder. "But he's too busy - maybe later?" Mike huffed and looked down at his feet. The office was boring when he was given no work. He knew there was a big case on, so he couldn't even go see Rachel. Donna's phone rang at that moment and she answered, forgetting Mike was there for the time being. He used this opportunity to go down to IT. They rarely had much work on mornings and he and Benjamin had become quite good friends.

* * *

><p>"Donna, I'm going to take Mike for something to eat," Harvey told her. When she nodded he frowned. "Okay - that <em>means<em> that I need you to give me him back."

She looked at him, confused. "I don't have him."

Their eyes met and both sighed. Harvey pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and growled out: "I'll check the associates and other partners' offices."

Donna read into that; 'I'll make sure Louis hasn't stolen him again'. "I'll check the bathrooms," she said, and they both went off on their appointed missions.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Benjamin," the IT tech looked around and saw that Mike was stood in front of him.<p>

"Wow," he said in a hushed voice. "They told us what happened, but I didn't really believe them - this is like that section of that X-Men comic, when one of Magneto's - "

"Okay, Benjamin - usually you know I'd _love _to talk comics with you," Mike said, meaning it. "But can we not talk about ones that are like my situation?"

Benjamin blinked. "Sure. Have you seen the new Spiderman comic?"

* * *

><p>"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Harvey's mantra continued as he looked everywhere on their floor and had to admit defeat. He couldn't find Mike <em>anywhere <em>and was starting to worry - which was completely against his nature. After thoroughly interrogating Louis, Harvey knew that Mike hadn't been anywhere near him. And none of the other associates would own up to seeing him if they had. Or had they done something? Harvey knew none of them liked Mike, and had been known to mess with him; would they do the same with a smaller Mike?

Just as Harvey was on the verge of a panic attack as he imagined Mike being trapped in some vents somewhere, Jessica called his name. "Harvey? Are you okay? You've made Louis not want to leave his office and I've seen two very pale associates. What are you doing?"

Harvey took a deep breath. "We've lost Mike," he explained, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal, while he could feel his heart racing. "Donna took her eyes off him for a few seconds and he was gone. She thought he'd come into my office."

"How long has he been missing?" She asked, sounding concerned enough for the both of them.

Harvey shrugged. "Maybe an hour?"

"Well clearly nothing bad has happened or security would have informed me by now," she said to Harvey, resting a hand on his shoulder. "He's either talking with someone he knows or he's just lost track of time. Maybe he's fallen asleep."

Harvey recalled that it was getting close to Mike's naptime and turned slightly paler; nothing anyone would have picked up on. But Jessica wasn't 'anyone'.

"Relax," she told him, rubbing his shoulder. "We'll find him. I'll call security and they'll find him on the CCTV. I promise."

Harvey nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Donna was sat in his office and staring at the book and toys Mike had brought with him that day, as if he had died and she wanted to keep his possessions as a tribute to his memory. Harvey liked to think he was coping better than her. "He was bored," he said to Jessica, as if trying to relieve himself of the blame that he should have been watching the kid. "I was busy with work. Donna said he wanted to read with me. But I said I was busy," he swept a hand through his hair and sighed.

Jessica patted his shoulder again and immediately picked up her phone as soon as it rang. "Jessica Pearson. You have? Where? Okay - thank you," she put it down, smiling at Harvey's hopeful face. "He's down in IT."

"Why would he go down there?" Harvey asked, more to himself.

"Harvey," he looked over to Jessica. "Go get him."

* * *

><p>"Benjamin - it's been fun as always; but I'm getting tired," Mike said, as he sat on the tech's desk, swinging his legs. He was rubbing at his eyes and got the feeling that Harvey would probably want him to sleep soon, so they didn't have another repeat of yesterday.<p>

"Well don't hesitate to come down again," Benjamin smiled, watching Mike carefully get off the table. He enjoyed their chats - they had been having a good talk about the differences between the Captain America comics and the new film; whilst Mike argued it was very much an origin story, Benjamin argued that they should have used a well known storyline. They both agreed they couldn't wait for the new Avengers film.

"Michael!" Mike turned pale and looked over at Benjamin.

"Busted," he said weakly, trying to smile at the tech.

Harvey walked over, a glare on his face that made Benjamin fear for the small boy's life. "What were you thinking?" Harvey snarled, crouching so he could take a hold of Mike's shoulders. "You don't just walk off and not tell Donna or myself! What if something had happened to you?"

"But nothing did!" Mike argued hotly, pulling his shoulders out of Harvey's grasp. Harvey countered this by standing up and grabbing his hand. Without so much as a backwards glance at Benjamin (for which the tech was extremely grateful) he left, pulling Mike along behind him.

"Harvey, what are you doing?" He hissed as they were in the elevator.

"What am _I _doing?" Harvey asked. "What are _you _doing? Going off on your own - anything could have happened!"

"I only went down to talk to someone," Mike said in a quiet voice. "I didn't realise you'd notice I was gone."

"Of course I noticed!" Harvey told him, bending down once more to be on eye level with the small boy. "Mike - what if you'd gotten lost? Or someone decided to take you? Or if you'd gotten hurt and we wouldn't know where you were to come and help?"

Mike looked down at the floor, with tears streaming down his face. He hadn't thought about that. "Now I know you wouldn't be stupid to follow a stranger," Harvey said, realising he was comforting Mike by running fingers slowly through his hair, "but if they decided to take you using force then how would you get away?"

"I'm sorry," Mike whispered, wiping at the tears falling down.

Harvey sighed and thought, _screw it, we're alone in the elevator_. He picked Mike up and held him carefully, as Mike wrapped his arms around Harvey's neck and sobbed into his shoulder. Harvey rubbed his back soothingly and started to mutter nonsical words of comfort in his ear. "I think you're just tired," he said softly, feeling Mike nod and bury his face into Harvey's neck. "I'm going to punish you for walking away, alright?" He asked, and felt another nod. "You won't get a bedtime story tonight, but you will get a bath."

He felt Mike nod again and then shudder as he started to cry once more. After a while of Harvey's back rubbing he settled down. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Harvey was met with Donna and Jessica stood outside his office. As soon as they saw him they rushed over.

"Is he okay?" Donna whispered. Harvey nodded and walked past them to place the little boy on his couch.

"Donna, do you have his blanket?" Harvey asked, placing Mike's teddy next to him, and smiled as Mike snaked his arms around it and clung as he fell asleep. Donna hastily covered him in the blanket and sniffed, obviously holding back tears that had threatened to fall in her worry of Mike going missing. Jessica smiled at them both.

"I'm glad he's safe, Harvey," she said to him softly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping toddler. "If you have a moment, I've got a client I'd like you to meet."

Harvey finally pulled his eyes off Mike and nodded. "Don't let him out of your sight," he said to Donna, who saluted him and sat down at his desk, cradling a baseball and staring at Mike. Loosing him once was one time too many.

* * *

><p>"Mike - I know you were bored earlier; Donna wanted to know if you wanted to go out for a bit," Harvey suggested nonchalantly, as if it would probably bore him if he had to go too.<p>

Mike beamed. He was reading through 'Where the Wild Things are' - again tracing the words with his index finger - and was bored of it now. No doubt because he had the book memorised by the time he was 6. "Sure," he replied, putting the book to one side and drawing Harvey-bear into his chest. "Where?"

"The park," he answered. Mike seemed to be seriously contemplating this, before nodding.

"Okay - as long as you don't make me go on any teeter-totters," Mike told him, standing up to put on the warm jacket that Donna had bought for him. It was getting towards the end of October, and was pretty cold now.

"Why not teeter-totters?" Harvey asked, putting his jacket on. He hadn't intended on making the kid go on any playground equipment at all, but he guessed if Mike was up for it then it would be okay.

"Bad experience when I was small," Mike explained. "Some big kid got on it and I was stuck at the top until Trevor came and pushed him off. But then I also went crashing to the ground a bit too fast," Mike looked sour, and his eyes dulled. "But Trevor made it up to me," he added, brightening. "He got us some icecreams and then we found some mud to throw at them."

Harvey winced. "Wherever we're going - I _forbid _you to throw mud; do you _know _how much this suit cost? And while I'm forbidding things," he said as they grabbed Donna on the way out, "you are _not _to go on a teeter-totter. You think dry cleaners are free? Anything that gets on those clothes I have to pay for to wash..." Harvey began ranting about the price of his dry cleaner, whilst Donna gave Mike a knowing look. She had heard what they had been discussing, and knew this was Harvey just giving Mike an out instead of pressuring him to go on a teeter-totter.

* * *

><p>"Michael James Ross you be careful on that swing!" Harvey chuckled as he watched Donna flexing her hands nervously, watching Mike swinging. It was a small swing, and he wasn't even going very fast. She kept giving small gasps, and Harvey was sure she nearly had a heart attack when Mike jumped off the swing as he reached the peak of it. "I can't watch this," she moaned. "I'm going to get coffee - you want some?" Harvey nodded an affirmative and she left, trying not to look at Mike.<p>

"Where's Donna going?" Mike asked, staring after her.

"You're killing her doing all of your dare-devil stunts," Harvey said, checking his blackberry for any new messages. Just because he had the afternoon off didn't mean he didn't have any work he could be doing, or at least checking up on.

"Oh," Mike said, climbing up onto the bench with Harvey, pink from exerting himself on the play equipment.

"Why don't you go play with those kids," Harvey suggested as he read an email, gesturing vaguely with his hands. Mike looked at the group of children who were probably the same age as he was - _not mentally_ - he stressed in his head. In retaliation, he edged his way up the bench to sit closer to Harvey.

"What - you're scared of interacting with other kids?" Harvey scoffed, looking down at him. Mike gazing up shyly confirmed what he'd just said. He started laughing. "Mike, they're hardly intimidating!" Mike fidgeted slightly and said nothing. "Mike, you regularly see me staring down some other lawyer or judge in court - how is this scary?"

"What if they don't like me?" He asked in a small voice.

"Mike, I... What?" Harvey floundered, completely at a loss. The kid was like a damn puppy - he bounded up to people with his tail wagging, slobbered everywhere and assumed that anyone he met he would be friends for life with.

"I'm serious - none of the other associates like me; if they don't what makes you think they will?" He gestured over to the small children playing happily on the small jungle gym, watched closely by their parents.

Harvey sighed. "The other associates are all idiots anyway, Mike - they're jealous that they weren't picked by me to be my associate. They're just trying to grind you down so that one of them gets your job. And I don't think three year olds are that picky regarding who wants to play with them."

Mike gazed up at Harvey before nodding and setting his jaw, getting off the bench and going over to the other children. He approached them cautiously at first, glancing back to Harvey, who was making shooing gestures at him. He breathed out, nodded, and went over.

"Uh... hi," he said, fidgeting. They all looked at him. Shit. He didn't know how to talk like a three year old. "I'm Mike."

"Kelsie!" A little girl yelled brightly and tugged on Mike's wrist, eagerly pulling him into their game.

"Kelsie be gentle!" A woman who was obviously her mother, warned. Kelsie's grip became slightly softer but Mike let himself be taken over to more children who were playing on the jungle gym. She started to climb up and Mike decided he would follow. He was at the top in a matter of seconds, beaming. He looked back and saw that Donna was back now, clutching her coffee and watching him stand fearlessly on the top of the jungle gym with a pale face. Harvey was sat back in a satisfied manner, his arms crossed.

If Mike had been closer, he would have seen that the small smile was forced, and the hands were clutching at his sleeves.

* * *

><p>"I can't belive you told him to play with those kids," Donna muttered darkly. "That one over there looks like he'd <em>eat <em>Mike if he was given the chance. Why is he so small?" She suddenly worried. "Surely it's not normal - what if they're bullying him?" She asked, as Mike was taken by the hand by the small girl who had become fond of him and led into a sandbox.

"Donna; he can take care of himself," Harvey assured her, looking around at the other children. He could read people, and he knew children were much easier to read as they wore their hearts on their sleeves. So he just checked to make sure none of them had any violent intentions. That large boy Donna pointed out seemed like a good kid, and Mike was smiling as he said something. The little girl who made Mike join in was equally pleasant, it seemed. There was one child that concerned him. The kid had messy dark hair and the look on his face was sour. It was how Harvey imagined a small Trevor would look, if he had any inclination to think about it. That alone made him think the kid was trouble.

* * *

><p>Whilst Mike was still wary of playing with these kids, and kept giving small glances back to Donna and Harvey, just to make sure they were still there, he was having fun. It had been a while since he could actually play on a jungle gym, and he remembered how much he loved climbing when he was small. It used to send chills down his grandmother's spine, he remembered, as he hastily climbed to the top of anything in the playground that was remotely climb-worthy.<p>

He was stood at the top of the slide, waiting patiently for the boy he'd learnt was called Bertie to go down, and felt the kid behind him pushing him impatiently. He turned and saw an angry looking boy with dark hair that hung in front of his face. "Hurry up!" The boy demanded, stamping his foot.

Although Mike knew he could easily beat the kid in anything that required hand-eye co-ordination, he doubted if the kid decided to get physical that he could do much to stop him. As Donna kept pointing out - he was small. "Wait your turn," he told the boy, crouching to sit on the slide. Impatiently, the kid shoved him, and Mike flew down the slide face-first.

* * *

><p>Before Donna knew what was happening, Harvey was tearing across the playground towards the slide. She stood up, wondering what was happening, and heard a small cry that she recognised as Mike's. She too, rushed over, and found Harvey slowly bundling Mike up and pulling him into a sitting position from his prone one at the foot of the swing. The other children stood around, gawping, and several parents came over - hearing the cry and not knowing if it was their child or not.<p>

"Mike?" Donna said shakily. "Are you okay?"

Mike rubbed at his head where a bruise was already appearing and whimpered, his lips wobbling as he no doubt got ready to cry. Harvey pulled him into his lap, mindless of the mess it would bring to his suit and kept one hand on his back. "Mike, look up at me," he said calmly. "Come on."

Mike looked up, sniffling as Harvey gently looked over the bruise and his head in general. "Where does it hurt?" He asked, amazing Donna with the softness of his voice. Mike pointed to his head. "I know it does, Mikey - anywhere else?" Donna's eye were bulging out of their sockets as she heard him call the small boy 'Mikey', but she noticed that the toddler seemed calmer afterwards.

"I don't think so," he whispered, clutching onto Harvey's sleeves. "Can we go now?" He gave a sniff and sent a look of hatred over to the boy that reminded Harvey of Trevor.

"Sure we can, kiddo," Harvey said, standing up and holding Mike as he did so. "Just one second," he passed Mike to Donna, who immediately started cooing to him and kissing the bruise on his head softly. Harvey went over to the dark haired boy who didnt' seem to be with a parent - all of them were now over there, taking their kids home when they saw the time.

"Next time you do that," Harvey said, drawing himself to his full height and using what Mike liked to call his 'prosecution voice', "you had better be careful who you do it to. I can have the police come here now and explain that you committed assault with intent."

He realised he was threatening a child who probably just didn't like waiting and was probably an only child as well. He stopped glaring at the kid (he had reduced him to snivelling but he felt that kid earned it after pushing _Mike _down the slide) and went back to where Donna and Mike were standing. They quickly transferred the toddler over to Harvey's arms.

"You think we should take him to the hospital?" Harvey asked.

Donna was about to say something, but she was quickly drowned out by Mike's protests. "No! I don't need to go to hospital! I'm fine!" Harvey was torn between what to do. Mike was staring up at him with round, teary eyes and the bruise was getting bigger.

"Yes," Donna answered. "We're going - it's a head wound, Harvey," she said as Harvey opened his mouth. "It may not seem bad, but he's small. I just want to make sure."

Harvey sighed but took out his phone and called a client who owed him.

* * *

><p>Dr Bill Wyatt was a paediatrician - a private one, and he had treated a number of children from very wealthy families. He had been sued by one of his patients' parents for wrongly diagnosing their child. It hadn't caused and harm and he had quickly rectified his mistake. However, the family was so powerful, not was willing to take his case. Apart from Harvey Specter. He had won the case. And won spectacularly at that.<p>

So Bill was surprised when he got a call off Harvey on one of his days off. "Harvey - to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked warmly.

"_Bill, I need you to help me with something_."

Bill frowned. "I'll do what I can, but you know I'm just a paediatrician."

"_That's exactly why I'm calling,_" Harvey told him. "_I got a patient for you. Can we swing by?_"

Bill had told him that of course he could and was now sat in his study, awaiting Harvey's arrival. He had only known Harvey for a week, but he couldn't fathom why Harvey would ever need to bring him a patient. Finally, Harvey came in, clutching a small blonde boy who was clutching him back, his thumb in his mouth.

"Who's this?" Bill asked as they sat down.

"Bill this is Mike - Mike, this Dr Wyatt. Humour me and Donna, and let him look at your head," Harvey gave him a command, and the little boy grimaced but looked over at him and gave a small smile.

"Hi," Mike said in a soft voice, taking his thumb out of his mouth with a face that seemed to say, _I can't believe I was just doing that_.

"Hi, Mike," Bill said warmly. "What did you do to your head?"

"Fell down a slide," Mike mumbled, and pulled some of his hair back to reveal a bruise on his forehead.

"That looks painful," Dr Wyatt said conversationally, slowly moving Mike's head back and forth, rotating it and twisting slightly. "So how do you know Harvey?" He asked. Mike looked up at the man in question as if not sure how to answer.

"I'm looking after him for a while," was all Harvey would say, and Bill just shrugged and nodded.

"Well there's definitely no neck injury," he smiled at the little boy. "How bad does your head hurt?" He expected a shrug; he got it every time, but the little boy surprised him.

"Hurts like a headache," he informed the doctor. "But it's not too bad. Just when you press on it. I doubt there's any inter-cranial damage, a fracture of any sort or nerve or tissue damage. It's just a bruise."

"He's very smart for his age," Harvey quickly told him, giving the small boy a little bounce on his knee.

"I see. Does it hurt anywhere else on your head, or just that bit?" Dr Wyatt asked. When Mike confirmed it was just that bit, he was awarded a full bill of health - apart from the bruise and a sticker that said 'I was good at the doctors'. Harvey stood up and moved Mike expertly so that he could shake the older man's hand.

"Thanks for this, Bill," he said.

"Not a problem," Dr Wyatt replied. "Feel free to come back if anything else happens."

As soon as they were out of the building and getting into the car, Mike tore the sticker off as he was placed into the car seat. "Of _course _I was good at the doctors," he scorned. "Who wouldn't be? They're there to help!" Donna nodded in agreement as she strapped him in as Harvey got in as well. She had been made to wait in the car for them; her mothering more than both males could deal with.

Harvey looked at his watch. "Take us home, Ray," he instructed.

"No!" Mike's small voice rang out in the car. "I left my bear! And my book! Can we go back and get them?" He tugged desperately on Harvey's arm.

He groaned but nodded as he saw Ray's eyes look at him with the rear-view mirror.

* * *

><p>They were once again pulling away from the firm, Donna having being left there so she could drive back to her own place. Before Harvey knew it they were back at his condo, and he said bye to Ray as he made his way in. Mike went over to the sofa, before being grabbed around the sides.<p>

"Nope - you need a bath, remember?" Mike groaned but nodded, his eyes closing as he was taken to the bathroom and heard the taps running. "How's your head?" Harvey asked, grabbing some children's strenght tylenol from the kitchen.

"It's okay. I guess it still hurts," Mike shrugged, watching the spoonful of medicine coming towards him.

"Swallow this," Harvey instructed. Mike eyed it apprehensively and shuddered at the thought of swallowing it.

"No thanks, I'm good," he ground out.

"Mike..." Harvey sing-songed. "Don't make me do airplane noises..."

"I can assure you that it won't work," Mike pouted, wincing as his head throbbed.

"Perhaps you prefer trains?" Harvey wondered, moving the spoon closer to his mouth.

"Harvey, I don't want any!" Mike whined. Unfortunately, he opened his mouth too wide as he whined and Harvey shoved the spoon in, giving Mike no option but to swallow. He shuddered as he did it. "You're mean, and I'm never taking any of that again," he insisted, his mouth wobbling at the unfairness.

"C'mon, kid," Harvey said softly as the bath filled up. "Sooner this is over, the sooner you can go to bed."

"What about my story?" Mike pouted as he was helped into the bath, too tired to be modest.

"Part of your punishment, remember?" Harvey said, putting shampoo on Mike's hair. Mike winced and whimpered as he did this. "I know..." Harvey said in a hushed voice. "I know... Nearly done..." He soon finished lathering it in and as before gave Mike a facecloth to hold while he poured the water over his head.

In no time at all, Mike was clean and dry, and in his pyjamas. Because his others were being washed, Harvey had to resort to giving him the ones with the sheep pattern Donna had bought. He chuckled at Mike's face as he saw himself.

"I look so young," he muttered, holding out the hem of the pyjamas distastefully. Harvey hummed but didn't comment, making sure Mike went to the toilet one last time before going to sleep.

"I'm going to get another bed for a while," Harvey told him in a low voice as Mike settled into the big bed. "So you don't need to live in fear of me squashing you," Mike gave him a small smile before lying down and closing his eyes. Just Harvey was about to move Mike's eyes opened again. "Mike? You alright?"

Mike sat up in the bed and leant up, putting his arms around Harvey's neck and hugging him. "Good night," he murmured.

Harvey managed to recover from his shock and patted Mike's back before settling him back down. "Night, kid."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Eesh, aren't you lot lucky with these long chapters? ;) This one ran away with me XD I'm supposed to be packing for Uni! But yeah, the running away part was partly so we could see worried!Harvey and I've always thought Mike was a comic book nerd; and I think we should give Benjamin more love :3 I think all they do is talk about geeky stuff - I'd love to join them XD Anyways - please review, I really like seeing what you thought :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I seriously love all you guys :3 I'm excited about this chapter; so I hope you all enjoy it :) Many people had the same request, and I can't remember everyone; so let's just say you're all awesome :P**

* * *

><p>Mike woke up before Harvey that morning, which was odd. He usually had to be gently shaken awake. He sat up and immediately pushed the duvet off himself, crawling away from where he had snuggled into Harvey's side during the night. It was way too hot. It was nearing the end of October, so he should be quite cool. Harvey must have put the heating up, he decided, as he got off the bed, that was it.<p>

He felt weird though. His head was swimming a bit as he first stood up, and he hastily put it down to being asleep all night. He knew that made no sense, but he didn't want to admit to feeling ill. He sniffed, finding that his nose was blocked and eyed the glass door that went out onto the balcony. He reached up and turned the key, standing right on the tips of his toes to fully open it, and finally opened the door. He hoped the light morning air would do him some good. He stepped outside and shivered, although the cold ground felt good on his bare feet. He went to rest his forehead against the cool sheet of glass that stopped him from tumbling off the balcony, but it looked too much like the windows at Pearson Hardman.

He closed his eyes and leant against it anyway. He felt dizzy with his eyes closed and with leaning against the glass - and his paranoid side was sure he would fall - but dammit, if the cold glass didn't feel like heaven against his hot forehead. He slowly crouched, sliding down the glass before finally being sat on the ground, resting gently against the railing. Little tendrils of air kept blowing over his face, lifting his tufty blonde hair which alleviated some of the sweat that was gathering there.

"What are you doing?" He jumped at Harvey's voice but couldn't come to drag himself away from the railing. The glass felt too nice, and he was comfortable now, he didn't want to move and experience that vertigo again.

"I was too hot," he mumbled, "in bed. So I came out here," he caught the words 'baby-proofing' in Harvey's mutter before finding himself being taken away from the glass. He moaned slightly in protest but kept his eyes shut.

"Don't tell Donna you got onto the balcony that easily," Harvey warned. He frowned as Mike didn't seem to react, and could feel unusual warmth from the little boy's limbs. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked, carrying Mike to the bedroom so that he could get dressed. He realised he needed to either get more clothes or wash the other ones; they were down to a red t-shirt and a pair of dungarees that Mike had sworn off wearing.

"M'fine," Mike replied, slowly putting the clothes on. "I'm still tired, I guess," he did feel washed out, and not really hungry either. He went into the bathroom to take the pull-up off, and Harvey used this time to make some breakfast. It was rare that they had time, and Harvey pulled out the box of Lucky Charms that Donna had brought round. He couldn't stand them and made some toast for himself, but Donna had assured him that Mike would love it.

"Mike, there's food on table!" He said, pulling out his blackberry and wincing as he saw a missed call from Jessica. The little boy came into the kitchen, looking peaky - something which Harvey put down to tiredness. "I'm going to call Jessica back; when you're ready we're going in," he nodded at Mike, before pausing. "You're wearing those things? You said you never would."

Mike shrugged. "There's nothing else to wear," he was actually glad that they cut off at the knee. The only other things he had were jeans. At least he was cooler in them. Harvey seemed to accept his excuse and went onto the balcony, closing the door so that Mike couldn't get out and so as not to disturb him while he ate. Mike looked down at the bowl of colourful sugar and grimaced. He would have been better with toast. He saw Harvey had left a crust and sighed, wishing he had been asked about what he wanted to eat.

He knew Harvey would ask questions about why he hadn't eaten, and he didn't want him to worry; so he took a cautious bite to test the waters.

It was a bad idea.

His stomach rebelled and Mike dived into the bathroom, reaching the toilet just as he vomited. The toddler side in him wanted to screech and cry and wail until Harvey came in and picked him up, reading to him until he fell asleep. But the _Mike _part simply gripped the bowl tightly until his knuckles turned white and grimly flushed when he was finished. He carefully climbed onto the small stool Harvey had found and ran the tap, leaning over to swill his mouth out. He spat large mouthfuls out; happy that the feel of water in his mouth didn't make him want to be sick.

He realised he would need to brush his teeth, and he gagged constantly whilst doing it, but he felt slightly more human after doing it. He just hoped he wouldn't feel the need to vomit again; there wouldn't be a way to mask it at the office.

He gave a small whimper at how bad he now felt, and wished more than anything that he would just swallow his pride and admit defeat. Instead, he walked out of the bathroom and gave Harvey a smile as the older man stepped back inside the condo.

"I'm ready," he said, picking Harvey-bear up.

Harvey looked down at the bowl as he picked it up. "You haven't eaten anything."

"Tired," he whimpered, hoping Harvey would buy it.

"Is it your mission in life to get me killed by Donna?" Harvey asked, but any bite to the words was gone as Mike rubbed at his eyes for effect. "Sleep when you feel like it," Harvey told him, picking him up to go downstairs. "We do _not _want a repeat of the other day."

Mike knew all too well what Harvey was on about, and even thinking about the crying he had been doing made his head hurt. He felt better nestled in Harvey's arms, clutching his bear, and he closed his eyes; hoping he _was _just tired. He nuzzled into Harvey's chest, causing the older man to look down in surprise.

Harvey hoped that Mike was just tired; the kid was acting weird, and he really hoped it wasn't anything to do with the bruise he had on his head.

"How's your head?" He asked, as they waited for Ray in the foyer.

"It's okay," Mike said. It wasn't, but in the capacity that Harvey was meaning, it was fine. If he had asked, 'Are you dizzy and is your head swimming?' he would have replied in the positive.

As it was, he didn't.

* * *

><p>Harvey got Mike settled in his office that morning with no hassle whatsoever. Usually he would drag him from Donna and plant him down on the couch, motioning towards various toys and giving him a look while he himself sat down at his desk to work. It would take him three or four attempts of this to actually make Mike stay on the couch and do what he wanted.<p>

That should have been a sign that something was wrong. But Harvey was too busy with some files to even glance in Mike's direction. He was also thinking about the new client that Jessica had called him about. Shaun Hardacre was incredibly wealthy, and often spent good money on his lawyers. Jessica had told him that whilst she brought Hardacre into the firm; Harvey would be dealing with him. He had a meeting with them that morning, and was thinking of his strategy.

Mike curled up on the couch miserably, clutching Harvey-bear. Whenever he closed his eyes he could feel the room spinning gently, so he couldn't even feign sleep. Not that Harvey would notice, he thought sourly, looking over to where his boss was immersed in documents. He gave a small shudder and wiped at his forehead, feeling more sweat settling there. He could tell he was probably a mild shade of pink by now, and his blocked nose wasn't helping his swimmy-head situation. He needed to blow his nose.

He slowly sat up on the couch and walked out of the room, noting that Harvey didn't even realise. He went over to Donna's desk. She would probably figure out he felt awful - and maybe he was hoping she would - but he just wanted to get a tissue off her.

"Donna?" His voice sounded weird to his own ears. Maybe it was because his nose was blocked, so it probably came out more of a 'Dobba'.

"Mike?" She replied, staring at her computer screen. "How's your head?"

"S'good," he replied. "Do you have any tissues?"

"Why?" She asked, starting to type something up.

"I just need to blow my nose," he said to her, smiling shyly. She nodded and passed one down. He mumbled his thanks; slightly bitter that no one noticed he felt ill. Regarding this, he decided not to bother telling them that he was. If they were too busy to notice that he was ill, they were too busy to look after him.

And he really wanted someone to look after him right now.

He walked dejectedly back into Harvey's office, after blowing his nose thoroughly. He decided it was a bad idea, as;whilst it cleared his nose, it popped his ears and made his head feel weird. He gave a small whimper as a new wave of vertigo hit and got back on to the couch, curling himsself round his teddy. He could feel nausea rising again, but was in such a bad mood he couldn't be bothered doing anything about it. If Harvey wouldn't realise he was ill, then it would be his own fault if he found vomit all over his coffee table.

* * *

><p>"Mike, I'm going for my meeting," Harvey said, standing up. He glanced down at the toddler. He was still curled around himself, and hugging his bear, but his eyes were open. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, noticing the pink on his face for the first time that day. He bent down and felt his forehead with the back of his hand and withdrew. "You're really warm," he muttered, feeling sweat on the boy's brow.<p>

"It's the dungarees," Mike replied dully. "They're heavy material."

"Whatever you do, don't take them off," Havey told him, standing back up. Normally, he would refuse to believe such crap, but his mind was full of a thousand and one things at that moment and Mike was quite far down on the list. He looked over and saw Jessica walking towards Donna with Hardacre. Harvey went outside to meet them.

Mike looked over, and found he couldn't help the tears springing into his eyes. He felt _really _ill now, and whatever reasons he had for not telling Harvey about his illness were now out of the window. He wanted comfort. He wanted someone to just mutter that everything would be alright; even if it wasn't. And if Grammy wasn't there to do it, then he had to find someone else who would.

Harvey was shaking Hardacre's hand as he felt a small hand pull on his trousers. He smiled at Hardacre and Jessica as he looked down and said through the corner of his mouth so it wasn't visible to them: "What are you doing?"

"Harvey, I don't feel too good," Mike whispered, tugging desperately on Harvey's legs.

"Not now, Mike," he muttered, looking back over to his new client. "Ah, Mr Hardacre; this is my... nephew. Mike. He's staying with me for a while."

"Hello, Mike," Hardacre said to him, although it was rather lukewarm. He didn't like children.

"Mike, go back into my office," Harvey muttered, as Jessica said something to Hardacre.

"Harvey, I _really _don't feel well," Mike whimpered.

He then leant forward and promptly vomited all over Shaun Hardacre's legs and shoes.

* * *

><p>After Donna had called a janitor and was nimbly spraying air freshner all around her desk and Mr Hardacre, she looked over to Harvey's office to see that Mike was laid on the couch whilst Harvey was pressing a hand to his forehead once more.<p>

"How long have you known you were sick?" Harvey asked him gently, cursing the fact that he was supposedly able to read people but hadn't noticed that Mike had been feeling so bad.

"Since this morning," Mike muttered. "I felt too hot. And my head felt weird. And I kind of threw up back at home as well," Harvey swallowed slightly to hear Mike refer to his condo as 'home' but wanted to hit his head off something for not noticing sooner.

"You should have told me."

"You should have seen," Mike spat out, before immediately feeling guilty. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm just grumpy. Ignore me."

Harvey shook his head and reached for the hankerchief he had sat in a bowl of cold water. He put it on Mike's forehead, and the small boy gave a little yelp at how cold the material was. "I'm sorry," Harvey said quietly; knowing that even Donna wouldn't be able to hear him. Mike just shrugged and hid his face in his teddy. "Hey," Harvey carefully pulled the bear away. "That'll just make you warmer."

He was in the middle of wondering whether to run away and let Donna deal with everything or calling Dr Wyatt with another favour when Jessica came in. She couldn't quite hide her amused expression, but there was definite underlying concern there.

"Well that went well," she said, surprised to see that Harvey was sat so close to Mike, considering he'd just thrown up over one man's suit.

"Is he still interested in being with the firm?" Harvey asked quietly, brushing Mike's hair away from his forehead.

"It might take a while to soften him back up, but I'm sure I can manage," she told him. "How's the kid?"

"Sick," Harvey replied, resting his hand on Mike's shoulder as the toddler nuzzled into it. "I'm going to take him to the doctor."

Jessica nodded. "That's probably a good idea," she said. "Oh!" She added before she was going to leave. "I meant to tell you - the annual Hallowe'en party is next week - "

Harvey groaned. "You know how idiotic it is for us all to dress up?"

"It's simply a way to increase relations with the clients, Harvey," she reminded him. "It's for them and their children; and we have quite a long guest list now; I thought I'd remind you so you don't have the convenience of forgetting," she smirked at him, before resting her eyes on Mike. "I hope you feel better," she told him.

"Thank you, Miss Pearson," Mike mumbled, squeezing his eyes closed. She nodded and left. "I can't believe I'm going to miss the Hallowe'en party," he moaned. "That sucks."

"Who said you'd miss it?" Harvey asked, carefully drawing the kid up in his arms so that they could go to the doctor. He should have known a dress-up party would be Mike's sort of thing.

"I can't go like this," he muttered. "My costume wouldn't fit."

"I'm sure we can find you another one," Harvey said soothingly, walking past Donna. "Donna, I'm taking him to the doctors; would you cancel all my appointments for today?"

She nodded and went over to where he was stood, and carefully stroked Mike's cheek. "Poor kid," she said softly, as Mike leant into her cool touch. "Don't worry, you'll feel better soon."

* * *

><p>Dr Wyatt welcomed Harvey back into his office with a bemused expression. The lawyer looked worried, and he had never seen Harvey Specter look worried.<p>

"Another mishap with some play equipment?" He asked as Harvey sat down.

Harvey shook his head, carefully resting Mike on his lap. "He's sick," he stated. "He's warm and he said his head feels 'weird'. And he's thrown up."

Dr Wyatt nodded solemnly and smiled at Mike. "I remember from last time you're a very smart boy," he said, somehow managing to not sound condescending. "So you can probably guess why I need you to open your mouth?"

Mike simply opened it and wiped at his forehead again. Harvey noticed this and took Mike's hands gently in his, pulling them down to sit in his lap. He made small, comforting circles on the back of Mike's hands with his thumb as Mike held the thermometer that had been slipped into his mouth in his teeth. It beeped and Dr Wyatt pulled it out.

"It's not too high yet," he told Harvey. "But you need to keep an eye on it; and if it gets above 100, go to the hospital."

"100?" Harvey questioned. "I thought it wasn't bad unless it hit about 104?"

"In adults," Bill agreed. "However, in a three year old you need to watch out. I'll give you some medicine," he said to Mike, who nodded tiredly. "And if you take it, you'll soon feel better - okay?" Mike nodded again and Bill looked over at Harvey. "Keep him well hydrated," he informed him, "and make sure to keep him cool. Don't pile blankets on him even if he says he's cold."

Harvey nodded. "Thanks again, Bill," he said, shaking the doctor's hand. He took the medicine that the doctor had prescribed and carefully manoeuvred Mike so that he would be as comfortable as possible.

"Come on, kid," he said softly as they left. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>When Harvey got in, he immediately opened some windows to let a cool October breeze in. "Harvey, I don't feel too good..." Mike muttered, causing Harvey to dash to the bathroom, thinking only of his expensive rug. He knelt in front of the toilet with Mike on his lap, letting the kid stick his head into the toilet as he vomited. Harvey found himself rubbing Mike's back soothingly. He felt Mike shaking and could feel his skin burning.<p>

When Mike was finished throwing up, Harvey got him a glass of water and continued to rub his back as Mike started to swill his mouth out and swallow some water. There was a dampness on his cheeks that Harvey couldn't tell if it was from sweat or tears. "This sucks," he whimpered, raking shaking hands through his hair.

"I knew Donna was right about you interacting with other kids," Harvey growled, taking the now empty cup and placing on the floor, moving Mike's hands so he could card his own through the blonde hair.

"None of them looked ill," Mike disagreed miserably.

"Kids are always carrying germs around," Harvey said darkly. "Your little body isn't used to them. I bet that's why you got ill so fast. Come on," he slowly stood up. "You can go lie in bed for a while."

"I'm not tired," Mike told him.

"I didn't say you were," Harvey replied. "I'm sure as hell not carrying you around all day," he placed Mike on the bed, and the little boy instantly curled up. "Take the dungarees off," Harvey instructed. "You won't be as warm."

Mike just looked at him with an _I'm not moving, you do it if you want it that badly _expression, so Harvey simply picked him up and pulled the dungarees off. He then pulled a pull-up out and waved it at Mike's face. "You should put this on."

Mike sighed and instructed Harvey to look away. In a minute he was turned around and saw Mike laid on the bed wearing just his t-shirt and a pull-up. "I'll get you something else to drink," Harvey told him, leaving him to go get some juice.

Mike eyed the door and let his lip tremble once it closed. He felt awful; last time he'd felt this bad he had been young enough to curl up next to his grammy on the couch as she nursed him gently, forever taking his temperature and reading to him, letting him watch cartoons and making him chicken soup (_with stars _he remembered). Now he was alone. Well... he had Harvey. But Harvey wasn't there. Mike snivelled and felt tears running down his face.

"Hey, easy, kid," he looked up and saw Harvey stood in front of him with a thermometer, a cup (he noted that it had a lid on; although to be fair he knew he couldn't hold a normal cup without spilling right now) with what looked like apple juice in it, his bear, and three books. Carefully laying them on the bed, Harvey sat down on his normal side and moved the thermometer to the bedside table. He pulled Mike next to him, passed him the sippy-cup and bear and spread the books out on his lap.

"Which one do you want first?" He asked.

Mike could have cried with relief and happiness. Instead, he pointed to 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe', had a sip of juice and moved onto Harvey's lap so he could read along.

* * *

><p>Harvey was exhausted. He knew it wasn't Mike's fault; the kid was miserable as hell, but Harvey was physically and mentally drained. He had started reading to Mike, and soon enough the kid fell asleep. Harvey carefully moved off the bed and left Mike; covered only in a light sheet and making sure the window was open. As Harvey debated whether or not to call Donna, he heard retching from his room, and got there only just in time to thrust a can underneath Mike. Now he was moved into the living room, and was lying on the couch with a bin underneath him.<p>

"Harvey?" Harvey dragged a hand over his face and went over.

"Yeah, kid?"

"I'm cold," he was shivering, but one look at the feverish eyes told Harvey he wasn't in the slightest.

"It's just the fever, Mike," he said softly, laying his hand on the toddler's forehead yet again. He sighed; Mike was burning up. He grabbed the thermometer and this time placed it underneath Mike's armpit. Just then, the doorbell went. "Keep it there, okay?" Mike nodded as Harvey went to answer the door.

"Harvey, is he okay?" Donna pushed past him and into his flat. She saw Mike sat shivering on the couch and went over. "Oh, sweetie - how do you feel?"

Mike's pale, sweaty face twinned with the bright patches of colour on his cheeks told Donna exactly how he felt. "Have you been drinking?"

"Harvey won't let me stop," he said, pointing to the half-full sippy-cup on the table near him. Donna heard the thermometer beep and she checked it. "99," she said, frowning.

"Kid, we've got to cool you down," Harvey said. "You heard Dr Wyatt - you get any higher we're taking you to hospital."

"But I don't want to go to hospital," Mike whimpered, tears falling down his cheeks. He had never felt so miserable. He rubbed at his eyes and let Donna pick him up, sitting down so he was on her lap. She slowly caressed his cheeks, looking over at Harvey who glanced at his clock.

"Medicine time, Mike," he said softly, grabbing the medicine that Bill had prescribed. He'd had merry hell trying to get Mike to take it the last time. It was just something about an odd, pink liquid coming towards him on a spoon that made him lock his jaw and refuse to open his mouth.

"No, please, Harvey - I don't want any more!" Mike begged, half-heartedly squirming in Donna's hold.

"C'mon, Mike - it's just one mouthful," Harvey said, coming closer. "Just one - then you can have some juice, alright?"

"Mike, take the medicine," Donna said softly.

"But I don't like it," Mike whispered, starting to sob. Donna looked over at Harvey who actually looked pained. He waited until Mike's mouth was open and put the spoon in, turning it so that Mike would swallow. The little boy eventually did, and was rewarded with some juice.

"Check his temperature again," Harvey told Donna, walking into his bedroom. Once in there he pushed his hands through his hair and gave a long sigh. He closed his eyes in exhaustion and rubbed his hand over his face. How was this so difficult? He'd had to take care of a fevered Mike before and he'd never felt so helpless, so frustrated. At least that Mike didn't sob when given medicine, Harvey thought, sitting on his bed and resting his face in his hands. Normal Mike just took the damn meds and slept it off. He felt anger sliding over him combined with powerlessness and punched his bed, over and over, knowing he couldn't do anything.

"Harvey!" He groaned and got back up. He took a deep breath before leaving the room, and felt calmer. His small breakdown seemed to have helped, and he went over to Donna. "Harvey, it's 100," she said, looking down at Mike, who was still crying.

"Use my phone, call Bill Wyatt," he instructed, taking Mike off her lap. "Tell him what's happening and if we should take him to a hospital."

"Harvey we _should _take him to a hospital!" Donna told him, looking through his contacts.

"I want to try something first," he told her, and went into the bathroom. She followed him, waiting to be put through to Dr Wyatt.

Harvey ran the cold tap before eventually adding in some hot, making it lukewarm. He added a bit more cold before looking at Mike in the eyes. "I know this isn't going to be pleasant, but we need to get your fever down - got it?"

Mike could see what he was planning on doing. "No, Harvey!" He squealed as his hot body made contact with the water. "It's too cold! Please!" He wailed as Harvey gently lowered him in, slowly pouring the water over his limbs in order to avoid a heart attack or pneumonia from getting colder too quickly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Please, Harvey, stop it!" Mike screamed, grabbing hold of his arms with his hands. "It's too cold!"

"I'm sorry, Mikey," he said quietly, running his hands through the little boy's hair. "It's okay - it'll all be fine, understand? I'm Harvey Specter, after all; I win. We'll beat this little illness - got it?" His pep talk didn't really fool anyone, and his heart broke as Mike continued to beg and plead, looking up at Harvey with round eyes.

"Nearly done, Mikey," he told the toddler. "Nearly done..." he grabbed the thermometer and tested it. 98. That was good. He looked over at Donna. She was stood there with her mascara running down her face. "What did he say?" Harvey asked her.

"If his temperature is going down, keep doing what you're doing," she said in a shaky voice. "I'll go get some cloths and wet them to put over his face."

Harvey nodded and looked back at Mike, who was still crying and sobbing. "You're doing well," Harvey said, pretending he hadn't heard the waver in his own voice. "Good boy, you're doing great, Mikey."

"Daddy, stop!" The little boy sobbed. Harvey wanted to draw back in shock. He instead grabbed Mike by the armpits, attempting to take him out.

"What are you doing?" Donna asked when she returned. "Harvey it was helping!"

"Donna I can't do this," he confided in her, the pain on his face only too obvious. When his hold slipped and Mike was yet again in the water, he gave another yell.

"Daddy please!" Donna looked over at Harvey and moved him away.

"Let me; go get him another drink," she said smoothly, taking Mike and cooing to him, wrapping the cloths around his head.

Harvey left the room resting his forehead against his fridge as he heard the crying. It was tapering off now, but Harvey couldn't do it. He couldn't sit in the same room and be the reason that Mike was crying. He just couldn't.

"Harvey it's coming down some more!" Donna called out. "I think we can take him out soon!" Harvey let out a huge breath and sagged against his kitchen cabinets.

He'd never felt such relief before.

* * *

><p>It was half past 6 in the evening, and Donna was tidying up. Mike was now in a pair of pyjamas after his temperature went back up, but only by one degree and stayed there. It wasn't going down, but it wasn't going up either. He was sat on the couch with Harvey. Neither of them were doing anything. Mike was simply sat in Harvey's lap and holding a book half-heartedly, making no attempt to read it. Harvey had an arm around Mike's waist to keep him secure, but apart from that he was just staring into space.<p>

"Boys," Donna said, suddenly feeling like a mother. "You haven't eaten anything yet. Mike, sweetie - I know you aren't hungry but will you at least try something?"

Harvey felt Mike nod against him and stood up, taking Mike over to the table. Donna laid a bowl of soup in front of Mike, who gazed up at her with an adoring face she had only ever seen him wear when Harvey was pulling some kind of clever lawyer trick on someone else.

"It's got stars in it," he said, his eyes wide.

"You like it?"

"My grammy used to put stars in hers," Mike told her, carefully taking a spoonful and having a small bite. He waited for about five minutes before taking another hesitant bite.

Harvey started talking to Donna to fill in the silence. "Jessica was reminding me about the Hallowe'en party," he told her.

She smirked. "So what costume are you wearing this year?" She asked. "I think I'll go for witch."

"How about Louis?" He said. "That would scare anyone."

She smiled. "What about Junior, here?" She asked, beaming as Mike was now eating at a normal pace, and even looked like he was enjoying it.

"You want to make him something?" He asked her. It was intended as a joke, but her eyes widened.

"I'd love to! I've had an idea for a while now! I'll find it on the internet and start making it!"

"I didn't know you could make things, Donna," came Mike's weak voice from Harvey's lap as he finished the soup.

"I've got a lot of skills you don't know about, Mike," she said sweetly, before realising the time. "Oh, Harvey, I need to go," she frowned. "Promise me you'll call if anything happens," he nodded. "And make sure our little boy is well hydrated!"

"Donna!" Mike shifted uncomfortably. She laughed at him and kissed him on the forehead.

"Your temperature's going down!" She said delightedly. "I'll see you both tomorrow!"

"Thanks for the soup," Mike said. "It was better than anything Harvey could have made," he smiled cheekily up at the man in question. Harvey pretended to swat him over the back of the head.

"I'll see you later," he said to her, and she left.

Harvey looked down at Mike, who was yawning. "I'm not surprised you're tired," Harvey said, standing up. "You've exhausted me," he put Mike on his bed. "I ordered that new bed today," he told him. "It should arrive tomorrow."

"Okay," Mike murmured. He crawled over to his side and curled up, about to suck his thumb.

"How do you feel?" Harvey asked.

"Okay," Mike repeated, and jumped slightly when a hand rested on his back. Harvey was about to ask him if he remembered saying 'daddy' whilst in the bath before deciding against it. He could question Mike when he was properly recovered. And it was more than likely a slip of the tongue brought about by the fever and his childish mind.

It didn't stop Harvey from thinking about it though.

* * *

><p><strong>AN I've never really been around sick children; I tend to stay away from children in general, so if it's wrong, I apologise :P It's just general h/c so there's no detail of illness or anything; I hope no one minds :D I hope you all enjoyed sick!Mike - there may be sick!Harvey at some point ;) Please review :D **

**Oh, and I have THE best idea ever for Mike's Hallowe'en costume; so yes, I have already decided, so if you request one; unless it happens to be what I've decided, you won't see it D: But I hope you'll enjoy it when we get there :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N I'm sorry it's been a bit of a longer wait, I've just been getting settled at Uni and all sorts - and I'm really hoping that writing will take my mind off the incredible home-sickness I'm feeling right now D: **

**Oh, and just ignore ANYTHING medical in this, okay? Whatever happens is simply for the purpose of literary entertainment :P**

* * *

><p>When Mike woke up the next morning, he found that he was snuggled quite happily in Harvey's arms. He breathed in the smell of shaving foam, coconut shampoo and the fresh linen sheets that had been put on the bed. He sighed, feeling much better than he had felt the night before. He remembered going back to Harvey's flat, puking again and then falling asleep. After that it was quite fuzzy. He remembered being hot though. He thought that Harvey's skin felt quite damp next to his own and pulled away, frowning. He carefully placed the back of his hand to Harvey's forehead and groaned.<p>

Of course he would get his boss ill. That was just his luck.

Mike kind of hoped that Harvey was just warm because there were two of them sleeping in his big bed. Hadn't he said something about having bought another bed? Mike didn't know where he was expecting to put it...

Harvey made a small noise that made Mike jump out of his skin. The arms around him instantly tightened and drew him slightly closer - and to be fair if they hadn't done that Mike was fairly sure he would have fallen off the bed.

"Harveeeey," Mike whined, pushing him away. "You're too warm!" He didn't care that his boss was clearly showing his caring side, Mike didn't want to be so close to the hot skin. Harvey's eyes opened as he heard Mike complaining and instantly relaxed his arms, pulling away from the small boy.

"How do you feel this morning?" Harvey asked, clearing his throat as he heard it rasping.

Mike winced. "Okay. Actually I'm kinda hungry. Are _you _okay?" He asked in return.

Harvey's eyes narrowed. "I'm fine," he replied, getting off the bed. "I'll go get some food - get cleaned up," he motioned towards Mike, who blushed as he realised that; as it had been every morning; the pull-up was wet. He hopped out of bed, his legs slightly shaky after his fever the day before. He _did _feel much better. and decided it must have only been a 24 hour thing.

He hoped that Harvey had the same thing he had. Well, it had sucked, but at least it was only for 24 hours. He wasn't sure how to deal with a sick Harvey anyway; what if he was really sick? Mike thought that maybe they would make him go stay somewhere else - maybe with Donna or something. Hopefully not Louis. What if he was sent to stay with Louis until Harvey got better? What if Harvey didn't get better and died, and Mike had to stay with Louis forever?

"Mike, why are you still sat here? Food's on the table," Harvey said, clearing his throat once more. He was unprepared for Mike to leap off his bed and throw himself at his legs.

"Harvey, please don't make me stay with Louis! I'll be fine with Donna, but don't send me to be with Louis! I promise I'll even take care of you if you let me stay here, but if you die _please _make sure Louis doesn't get near me!"

Harvey had _no _idea as to what was going on. None whatsoever. He looked down at the kid who was now clutching at him like a limpet and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell were you thinking about?"

Mike blushed and realised he'd had a small meltdown and slowly let go of his boss's leg. "Sorry. I was just - are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Like I said - food is on the table. Now hurry up, unless you want me to sort _this _out," he prodded at the pull-up, "myself."

Mike frowned but turned away, about to go to the bathroom. "Someone's moody this morning," he heard Harvey say.

"I'm not _moody_," he disagreed. "I just don't like waking up wearing wet underwear - I think you would be moody if it happened to you!"

"So you agree that you're moody," Harvey said, his face unreadable. Mike pouted at him. "Am I going to have to tickle you or something equally as juvenile to get you to stop frowning at me?"

Mike snorted, but backed away hastily as Harvey came closer. "Don't you dare, Harvey!" Mike yelled, edging further away. Harvey kept stepping closer, a grin on his face as he watched the boy's discomfort. "I'm way too ticklish! No, don't - "

Harvey decided to just pretend to lunge and not actually tickle him; because that would be weird, but Mike had done a weird stepping-forward move by accident and Harvey found himself actually grabbing the toddler's sides. Mike gave an odd squeal of laughter and started to giggle, wriggling as he attempted to get out of Harvey's grasp. "No - Harvey," he choked. "I still - need to - p-pee..." He was giggling too much to get his words out, and he writhed happily as the tickling sensation slowly diminished.

"You ruin my carpet I'm having _you _pay for a new one," he said - although it was hard to take him seriously as his face was tinged with pink and he was breathing heavily, a small grin on his face. Mike stuck his tongue out and ran for the bathroom.

* * *

><p>When he came back out, he realised that Harvey hadn't put any clothes out like he usually did. "Harvey!" Mike yelled. "I think I've ran out of clothes!" He waited and got no answer. Frowning, he walked into the main living area in his pyjamas. He stopped dead. "H-harvey?" His voice came out as a whimper.<p>

The older man was lounging on the couch, but his skin looked as though it had been burnt, he looked that hot. "Harvey, are you okay?" Mike asked, stepping towards him slowly. He placed a hand on Harvey's arm and bit his lip. "I think you should go for a cool shower or something," Mike offered, getting worried when Harvey looked towards him, eyes glassy.

"I'm fine, kid," he slurred. "Just tired. Must've caught whatever you had..." His voice became quieter and soon he was listing off to the side.

Mike knew he had to act rationally. But the toddler was panicking. "Harvey, please wake up," he begged, shaking Harvey's arm. "Harvey," his shaking only made Harvey give off small groans every so often. Mike felt his lip trembling. He stumbled over to where Harvey's cell was, panic setting in as tears started pricking in his eyes.

He found the right speed dial and dialled.

* * *

><p>"Hello, this is Harvey Specter's office, Donna speaking - how may I help you?" Donna answered the phone coolly and professionally, and so was not ready for what was on the other end.<p>

_"Donna, you gotta come over - you - it's - please come over!"_

"Mike?" She heard the hitching in his breath and worry set in. "Mike, sweetie, what's wrong?"

_"Donna, Harvey won't wake up!" _She could hear his now outright sobs. _"He's really warm and he won't wake up - I don't know what to do!"_

Donna knew she would need to keep calm, and also remember that Mike would at that moment be panicking, and so whatever he was saying wouldn't be right. She would need to double check. "Sweetie, what do you mean he won't wake up?"

_"He's just lying here! On the couch! I keep yelling and pushing him but he won't open his eyes!"_

Okay, so not good. "Is he breathing?"

_"I think so - please hurry, Donna, I don't know what to do, he won't wake up, Donna..." _Mike was panicking and she could barely work out from his jumble of words and sobs what he was saying.

She got the general idea, however.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I'll be over soon. Just stay calm, I'll see you - "

_"Don't hang up!" _Mike begged. _"What if something happens?" _His crying was getting worse. Donna thought for a second.

"Hold on a minute, Mike, I'll stay on the phone," she started saying random things into her cell so he would know she was still there, and walked right into Jessica's office. The other woman looked up curiously. "I think Harvey's ill," Donna told her. "Mike's panicking and he doesn't want me to hang up but I need to go down there. Will you talk to him?" Jessica instantly nodded and picked her own phone up.

"Mike, sweetie," Donna began. "Listen to me, I'm going to hand up, but - _but_," she stressed, obviously getting arguments down the other end, "Jessca is going to call Harvey's phone, okay?"

_"Promise?" _What she wouldn't give to just sweep him up into a hug and not let go.

"I promise, okay?" She hung up and immediately Jessica called Harvey's phone. Donna waited until Mike picked up before quickly leaving, ending up sprinting to her car.

* * *

><p>She entered Harvey's apartment with his spare key and quickly found Mike breathing heavily next to Harvey who was on the couch. "Yes, Ms Pearson - yeah I did it. Is she - ?" He looked over to see Donna stood there. "She's here! Yeah. Okay, thank you," he put the cell down on the table and ran over. "Please do something, Donna!" He begged, tears still trickling down his face. "I did what Jessica asked me to do!"<p>

Donna raised an eyebrow and went over, seeing that any frozen foodstuff from Harvey's kitchen was now gently placed around his body. The older man was still wearing his clothes, although his shirt was unbuttoned slightly. "Harvey," she said, gently slapping his face.

"Donna," he slurred in reply. His eyes fluttering but not opening.

"Mike, I'm going to call an ambulance," she said firmly but calmly. She looked down at the boy and her heart broke. He looked absolutely terrified.

"Is he going to be okay?" Mike squeaked as she pulled her cell out. She didn't answer, but gave a small, sad smile as she saw that he had gone to grab his teddy (_Harvey, _she remembered. He'd called it 'Harvey') and a book.

"It's okay, Harvey - I'm going to look after you, see?" Mike held out 'Goodnight Moon'. "I'll read to you, like you read to me. And you can have Har - my bear, if you want. He's kinda soft," he gently placed these around Harvey, his lip trembling. He looked over to Donna, who had by now called the ambulance. "Donna," his voice cracked and he gave a small whimper.

"It'll be okay, sweetie," she told him, gathering him in her arms and letting him bawl into her jumper. "It'll be okay."

* * *

><p>The doctor had told them that Harvey's temperature had gotten high. Very high. But he couldn't explain why it had gotten high so quickly. It had possibly been climbing overnight, was his best guess. And the fact that he had been looking after an ill child was more than likely the reason for this.<p>

_No shit, Sherlock, _Donna wanted to say, but instead just sat by Harvey's bedside, watching Mike gently climb on the bed with his bear and book in hand.

"Sweetie, be careful," Donna said to him, not really meaning it. She knew that Mike would be very careful. He gave her a look as if to say, _Are you mad? _

"Of course I'll be careful," he told her, sitting next to Harvey. He made sure to steer clear of various tubes - he had a cooling IV drop in one arm and antibiotics in the other. He snuggled down next to Harvey - it was now one in the afternoon and he was exhausted. He placed his book on one side of Harvey and put the bear there as well. Donna had a sneaking suspicion that Mike didn't require his Harvey-bear when he had his own Harvey to hug. With this in mind, she watched as Mike cuddled into Harvey's side, his thumb slowly making its way towards his mouth.

Donna waited a few minutes before she was sure that Mike was either asleep or far gone enough that he wouldn't notice if she slipped out before quietly leaving the private room. She had to make so many phone calls, and would try to find the doctor once more. As she was about to call Jessica, she heard another phone buzzing. Scrabbling through her bag, she realised that she had put Havey's cell in there too. She raised an eyebrow but answered.

"Hello? No this is his assisstant... You've got a what? He wanted one delivering? No, he's... busy. I guess I could - where are you? Already? Okay, give me ten minutes. Yes - Donna. Okay. Goodbye," she raked a hand through her hair. Of course Harvey had ordered a new bed. What a completely random request. Still, she would now have to go there and sign for it. She peeked back in and saw that Mike was now firmly asleep. He wouldn't wake for another hour or so. She had time.

* * *

><p>Luckily, Harvey had paid in advance and paid extra to have the deliverers set it up as well. Donna simply had to choose a place for it. Seeing the size of it and now knowing it was for Mike, she tried to determine where it would be best for him to sleep. It couldn't fit in Harvey's room, and although it would fit quite neatly between a kitchen counter and the door to Harvey's study, she didn't really want him sleeping out in the main living area. Too many things for him to touch.<p>

She looked into Harvey's office. That was good - just bookshelves with law books on them. A nice rug, a desk with a closed laptop; nothing that could potentially kill Mike. Well - it was Mike, it could all potentially kill him, but she had to remember he was still an adult. Most of the time. She had to give him some leniancy.

Instructing the delivery men to set it up in a corner of the study, Donna went to make them all coffee. Within minutes it was set up and they hastily drank the scalding liquid before leaving. She checked it and decided to find bedding for it. She knew that Harvey would only have bedding to fit his own bed, so she would need to go out and find some that would fit the small single.

So she was then stood in the store, with two different styles in her hands. One was plain white with a green trim; it would go with the study. The other... the other she hadn't been able to resist. It was bright blue, with a puppy motif. She bought them both on the principle that Mike would need one when the other was in the wash.

She quickly went back to Harvey's and made Mike's new bed, deciding to put the puppy one on first. She grinned at it and checked the clock.

Shit.

She'd been gone for nearly two hours. She hurried back to her car and sped towards the hospital, hoping that Mike hadn't woken up yet.

* * *

><p>He had woken up. But so had Harvey. When she got back, she saw them both upright on the bed. Mike talking excitedly to Harvey about everything he could think of and Harvey's head nodding, not really paying attention but giving him enough 'Mhmm' and 'oh?'s that Mike didn't notice.<p>

"Harvey!" Donna went over. "How do you feel?"

"Rough," he winced, pretending he didn't have his arm around Mike. "Why did you take me to the hospital?"

"For god's sake, Harvey - your temperature! Any hotter and you would've had a seizure!"

"I could have dealt with my own fever," Harvey told her, self-assuredly.

Donna suddenly plastered on a fake smile that only Harvey noticed. "Mike, sweetie?" She said calmly. "Why don't you go buy something to eat?" She pressed the call button and a nurse turned up. "Excuse me, but would you mind taking Mike here to get some food?" She asked in a sweet, sugary voice. The nurse nodded, holding out her hand for the small boy to take. Mike shot Harvey a nervous look, but Harvey simply sighed and pushed him slightly, making him get off the bed.

When he was gone, Donna let rip. "You could have dealt with it?" She ranted at him. "Mike called me this morning in tears - _terrified _because you wouldn't wake up! You were barely responding, Harvey - and that poor kid had no idea what to do! What would have happened if he couldn't get hold of me? He wouldn't have tried to find help or called for an ambulance, because he's too damn scared of hospitals himself! You could've easily had a seizure in your own living room, and that kid would have been clueless as to what to do!" She paused for breath, noting Harvey's stony expression. "Harvey, think of how scared the kid was just because you were too warm. Now think what he would be like if you'd have died right there and then in front of him! He has lost too many people, Harvey," she told him, her voice becoming softer. "Don't let him lose you too."

Harvey stared at her for a moment. "You practiced that speech, didn't you?" He asked, a fake smirk on his face.

"Well I had to do something while I was sorting your new bed out," she told him, her hands resting on her hips.

He groaned and let his head fall back onto the pillow. "I forgot about that - did it go okay?"

"Of course it did!" Donna sniffed - as if anything overseen by herself could be anything but. "It's tucked away in your study, and I even bought you some sheets for it!" She gave a smile as she remembered the pattern on them.

"Harvey," Mike appeared at the doorway, the nurse who had been with him now leaving. "I didn't know if you were hungry or not, but Nurse Amy said you could only eat jello. So I got you strawberry," he held the pot out to the older man, holding the spoon in his other hand.

"I'm not eating that," Harvey told him, his voice still ragged. He still felt miserable and ill, but at least his temperature was manageable. Just as he said that, his doctor arrived back in the room.

"Mr Specter," he said, glancing down at the chart in his hands. "Your temperature is down, and it hasn't gone up at all in the past few hours. I'm willing to discharge you, as long as you continue taking the antibiotics and _rest_," he emphasised, looking over his glasses at Harvey.

"Don't worry, Doctor," Mike piped up from where he was stood next to the bed, eating the jello himself. "I'll make sure he rests!" The doctor smiled at him and looked back at Harvey.

"If you sign some papers I will get someone to take the IV's out and give you the rest of the antibiotics course," he said amiably.

Harvey nodded and felt a small hand pull at his arm. "Yeah, Mike?"

"Are you okay?" He asked. "I brought you a book in case you were bored, or if you felt worse - you want me to read to you?" Donna couldn't help the 'aww' that escaped her, and even Harvey was having trouble keeping the smile from become a full-blown grin.

"Maybe later, kid."

* * *

><p>They were now at Harvey's apartment. After Mike had a small rant about the sheets on his bed, he went to sit next to Harvey on the couch. The older man was resting in the corner of it, a bottle of water beside him and a whole packet of tissues on the table in front of him. Mike climbed up and scooted down so he could sit right next to Harvey. He instantly lifted his arm up for Mike to curl up underneath.<p>

Harvey had never been an affectionate person. He had never needed physical affection if he was ill. He just got on with it. But - _that _kid.

Dammit.

His kid. He had wormed his way into Harvey's heart and he didn't think there was anything he could do to get him out. And now the closeness of both of them was actually making Harvey feel better. He still felt really bad, but it was a step up from how he felt before. Mike was trying to tangle his limbs all around Harvey's body, and eventually crawled onto his lap, burying his face in Harvey's chest and sucking his thumb.

"Hey," Harvey gently pulled Mike's face so that they were looking at each other. "What's wrong?" Harvey was scared that - whilst he had undoubtedly gotten this small virus from Mike - he could just as easily give it back and make Mike sick all over again.

Mike shuffled uneasily and looked down. "I just... What happened today... You were - I was scared, Harvey," Mike confided. "I was so, _so _scared. I panicked; I'm sorry, maybe if I'd done something else, or if I'd called an ambulance straight away, I - "

He was cut off as Harvey pulled him up into a rough hug, running his fingers through the soft hair that had yet to lose its baby-fineness. "Mike, you did everything exactly right," he said softly. "I'm to blame - I knew I felt ill but I thought I'd be fine. I should never have put you in that position, I - I'm sorry, Mike."

"You can't be sorry for getting sick," Mike frowned at him. His eyes lit up. "Know what made me feel better when I was ill when I was small?" He reached for the tv remote and turned the television on, instantly punching in the number that would go to the cartoons.

"Why am I not surprised that you still know the exact channel for cartoons?" Harvey asked dryly. "I bet that's why you're late on a morning. You don't want to miss The Flinstones."

He was rewarded with a small elbow in his stomach. "Look, Scooby-Doo's on."

Harvey rested his head against the back of the couch. It would be a long afternoon.

* * *

><p>"Harvey, you should go to bed," Mike told him, trying to sound authoritative.<p>

Harvey looked over at him. He was still sat on the couch, but Mike was now on the floor opposite, using the Lego that Donna had given him. What he was actually building was anyone's guess. "Kid, I think if anyone has to go to bed, it's you," he looked over at the clock and closed his eyes wearily. It was now eight o clock. He would not only need to bathe the kid, he would also have to get him changed - he had been wearing those pyjamas all day as they had ran out of clothes - and try and get him to sleep in the new bed.

"I'm not tired," Mike said defiantely as he yawned.

"Sure," Harvey muttered. Well _he _was tired. Screw it, Mike could do whatever he wanted, Harvey was going to bed. He got up and went to his bedroom, slowly changing into his pyjamas and lying down on his bed. His back gave a sigh of relief as it twanged pleasantly after he had been sat down all day.

He drifted off for a few moments before feeling something prodding his face. He opened his eyes against his will.

"Are you asleep?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Harvey replied, closing his eyes once more. He groaned as he felt a pressure on his bed as he realised that Mike had gotten onto it.

_"In the great green room, there was a telephone - _"

"What are you doing?" Harvey asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm reading to you," Mike told him, as though it was obvious. "So you feel better."

Harvey wanted to turn and give the kid a hug. Instead, he stayed still and said: "What would make me feel better, is if you went to bed."

"But you're sad!" Mike told him, as if he wasn't aware of it. "And if I go to bed you'll be lonely as well!"

"Mike," Harvey growled. "I'm not in the mood for 'cute little kid act', okay? Just go to bed."

He felt the pressure come off his bed and opened his eyes and rolled over to see that Mike had left. He closed his eyes again.

Damn kid.

* * *

><p>He was woken up by Mike prodding his arm. "Mike," he groaned. "What did I say about going to bed?" He actually felt like strangling the small boy.<p>

"Harvey, there's something in the apartment!" Mike's voice was hushed and fearful, causing Harvey to spring up in bed. He waited until the slight vertigo passed before picking Mike up and placing him on the bed. He then grabbed a baseball bat from next to his wardrobe.

"Stay here," Harvey told him. He attempted to go, but Mike grabbed his hand.

"Harvey!"

"Don't worry, Mike," he said, running his fingers through the boy's hair. "Just stay there."

He left and crept out into the main living area. It all seemed normal. The light from outside that came in through the windows meant that he could see, and he looked everywhere - underneath the table, behind counters, the TV, underneath the couch. No one.

He checked the bathroom and moved onto his study. Apart from the mess Mike had made of the bed covers, there didn't seem to be anything out of place in there either. He growled and walked back into his bedroom, where Mike was watching fearfully from the bed.

"Did you find it?" Mike squeaked.

"Nothing here, kid - go back to bed."

"But, Harvey - I _know _it's there!"

"You know _what's _there?" Harvey asked, his patience growing even more thin.

"The monster!" Mike told him. "Under - under my bed..." He blushed, realising it sounded stupid, and he wouldn't be surprised if Harvey laughed at him. The kid in him was _sure_ that he heard breathing under the bed, and he was also sure that when he looked under he had seen the flash of red eyes. The man in him scoffed, but he couldn't be calmed.

Harvey sighed and scrubbed at his face. "Okay, kid - come with me," he held his hand out and Mike latched onto it, slowly following Harvey back to the study. He stayed at the door and wouldn't budge, no matter how many times Harvey pulled.

Harvey rolled his eyes but walked over to the bed, pushing the covers out of the way. He sent a significant glance Mike's way before getting on his knees and looking under the bed. He even waved the bat he still had under there. "See?" He said, getting back up. "Nothing there."

"But I saw it's eyes!" Mike insisted.

"Come here," Harvey said softly, motioning over. Reluctantly, Mike went over, standing behind Harvey and clutching his leg. Harvey pulled Mike down so he could look under the bed. A flash of red greeted them and Mike squeaked, pulling away. Harvey held him tightly and shushed him. "Mike, that's just the socket for my home phone," he explained patiently. "It flashes sometimes - okay?"

Mike nodded, feeling only slightly reassured. Harvey breathed out slowly, rubbing a hand down his face in tiredness. Just because he was nearly over the worst of his illness didn't mean he wasn't completely recovered. He stood up. "I'm going back to bed, Mike," he said. "I swear to you there are no monsters in my apartment - okay?"

"Uh-huh," Mike mumbled, still casting a wary eye at his new bed.

Harvey rolled his eyes and held his hand out once more. Mike grabbed hold of it and walked with Harvey back to his bedroom. He was picked up and sat down on the bed, as Harvey got in as well. "Try to get some sleep, okay, kid?"

Mike nodded and curled up, snuggling closer to Harvey.

Harvey didn't say anything, simply smirked and pulled the kid closer.

He could try and sleep in his own bed tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>So this ran away from me in the other direction; there isn't as much ill!Harvey as I wanted, but I hope you lovely lot don't mind :) I hope you enjoyed and please review :D<strong>

**Oh, and yeah, I admit that I reckon that Mike was a firm believer in monsters underneath the bed ;) Also, if there are any mistakes I apologise, I'm very tired :P**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N So... as I'm writing this it's midnight and I've had too many shots so I'm waiting for a while before sleeping... So I thought I'd start a new chapter ;D Thanks again for reviewing all you lovely, lovely people :D Also, apologies for any mistakes - I went through to check but I'm tired so if I missed any I sincerely apologise.**

**Warning: if cuddles were offensive then this fic would be 'M' rated. Beware those of you who have teeth; they may fall out due to sugaryness.**

* * *

><p>Harvey felt better that morning. He was so relieved, as it meant he wouldn't have an anxious Mike looking at him, offering his teddy to hug (which he wouldn't admit but which was just too adorable) or offering to read to him. He sighed as he remembered that Mike had yet to sleep in the bed he had bought specifically <em>for <em>the toddler. Well; how could he tell Mike to sleep on his own after he saw how terrified the kid was when he was convinced that there were monsters under his bed?

Harvey smirked. Monsters. He would tease the kid so much after this.

Or would he?

Would he tease him but then feel instant remorse as Mike gazed up at him with round eyes, a look of betrayal evident over his features?

Harvey sighed. He was definitely going soft.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a small elbow making contact with his stomach. He made a small choking sound and looked down to see that Mike was whimpering and moving around, squirming to try and get out of Harvey's safe hold. Harvey moved, letting the kid sprawl out more on his bed.

He quirked an eyebrow, before realising that there were tears clinging to Mike's eyelashes.

Holy Hell, was he having a nightmare?

Harvey didn't know what to do. It had been fine when the kid was ill - illness was something he could confront. Although he had felt completely helpess in the face of it, at the end of the day it was just a bug. This, however...

"No," the little boy pleaded in his sleep. "Don't, I..." Harvey watched, wondering what he should do. He carefully pulled Mike up into a sitting position and pulled him onto his lap, regardless of the wet pull-up that Mike had the foresight to put on as he got ready for bed the night before. Harvey started to run his fingers through Mike's hair softly.

The kid was calming, but he was still drawing hitching breaths. "Harvey!" He suddenly cried out, whimpering.

"Right here, kid," Harvey said softly. "Right here - I'm not going anywhere..." he started muttering to Mike, whispering words that held no meaning, but were still soothing him. Harvey still felt drained from his illness, but he managed to keep the comforting up, and realised that Mike had slipped back into sleep. He was still snuffling, which was why Harvey continued rubbing his back. Of course that was why he would be doing it - why else?

He looked at the clock. Donna would murder him if he turned up at work today. She would say he was still ill. But he realised he suffered from the same affliction as Mike in that he _couldn't _leave work at the office. If he stayed at home all day, he would end up doing work. But at the same time, he _really _didn't want to go into the office today. He heard some more mumbling from the small bundle in his arms and smirked, hearing random words such as 'monster' 'teddy' and finally 'daddy'.

Harvey's smirk was soon replaced by a frown. With all that had happened, he had completely forgotten that Mike had called him that when he had been ill. When it had happened he had been willing to question Mike about it afterwards, but now...

He pushed his hands through his bed-hair. Now, it didn't seem that bad. He was just a little kid who missed his own dad and latched onto the only person who was acting like one. Not that he thought he was acting like a dad, Harvey scoffed, carefully laying Mike back down on the bed and covering him up with the duvet cover. He was just - he was being a good boss. Looking after his employee until he could look after himself again.

It was odd how he had a good poker face but couldn't even convince himself of something.

Like how he still couldn't convince himself that he didn't care about Mike.

Speaking of, Mike seemed quiet now, still mumbling the odd few words - Harvey was sure he even heard 'dada' but he quickly shook it from his mind. He got up and decided to have a shower - air the cobwebs out, so to speak.

* * *

><p>Mike slowly woke up. He couldn't remember the dreams he had been having, but he remembered being scared. He gave a small huff to himself - he hadn't had nightmares for years. There were the occasional few that were caused by fevers, and every so often he dreamt about his parents' deaths, but he'd definitely had one now. He hadn't woken from it though; something had stopped it. He remembered a soothing sound, being hugged and gently sent back into a calmer sleep. Looking around, he didn't see Harvey anywhere, so maybe he had imagined it.<p>

He slid off the bed, going towards the bathroom to take the pull-up off, before hearing the shower going. He grinned - maybe Harvey _had _been there to stop the nightmares. He was resigned to sitting on the bed and waiting until the bathroom was free. He couldn't reach the door handle to leave the bedroom, so that meant he couldn't use the other bathroom either. He started to fidget, realising now that he _really _needed to pee.

He scooted off the bed and started banging on the door. "Harvey!" He called out, wondering if he could be heard over the gushing of the water. "Harvey, hurry up!" He wriggled and changed tactic - it would no doubt be embarrassing but anything was better than wetting himself.

_Hopefully Harvey won't get mad_, Mike thought, as he crawled back onto the bed, opened his mouth and gave a large scream.

* * *

><p>Harvey was feeling much calmer as the hot water rushed over him, and felt better than he had when he had first woken up. He was just rinsing the conditioner out of his hair when a piercing scream echoed through the flat. Hitting his own head off the shower head, he jumped out of the shower, pausing to quickly run a towel over his legs so that his pyjamas bottoms wouldn't stick when he yanked them up. He burst into his room, breath heaving, to be faced with Mike bouncing on his backside whilst sat on his bed, bawling.<p>

The kid was turning red with exertion and was so loud Harvey wanted to clap his hands over his ears. He instead put them on Mike's shoulders. "Mike - what's wrong?" He asked urgently, wondering how far away his phone was. Mike jumped at the sudden physical contact. He was finding it hard to stop crying once he got going, but took one look at Harvey and leapt off the bed, running into the toilet and slamming the door.

Harvey, followed - completely at a loss. "Mike!" He thumped on the door, realising the kid had locked it. "Mike, open the door!"

After a few minutes he heard the toilet flush, the sink being run and then finally the door unlocked. Knowing that the kid couldn't reach the handle, Harvey opened it. He stared down at the still-red little boy. "What were you doing?" Harvey demanded, grabbing a towel to rub over his own hair now he knew that Mike wasn't dying.

"I needed the toilet," Mike told him simply, going back to sit on the bed. "And you wouldn't open the door."

"So you thought making me think you were hurt was the best way to go?" Harvey growled. Mike wilted slightly, knowing that the anger was justified.

"I - " he faltered, not sure what to say. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just really needed to pee - I thought it would be better than wetting the bed!" He added.

Harvey glared down at him. "You realise that if you ever have to do that for a real reason, I won't bother coming?" He asked. "I'll think you're doing it to get your own way."

"No, Harvey, it wasn't - "

"You know you've earned this one, kid," Harvey told him grimly. "Time out - ten minutes," he turned away under the pretence of finding clothes so that he wouldn't have to look into Mike's now tearful eyes.

"No, please, Harvey!" He tried to beg, even as Harvey turned back and picked him up, taking him to a foot-stool set up in the corner of his main living room. "I'm sorry, I swear I didn't realise - "

"Mike; you know what you did was stupid," Harvey told him, putting a shirt on himself as Mike fidgeted on the stool. "You can't kid me."

Mike pouted and looked down at his lap. He didn't like time-outs. At least he'd been allowed to go to the toilet before this. It seemed harder to hold it now his bladder was so small. It was a small mercy however - he was sat on his own in the corner of this large room, as Harvey had gone to get dressed in his bedroom. He supposed it was part of the punishment, but he really hated it. After being near the same person for days and having to depend on them - not to mention his stupid emotions now getting the better of him - he hated that he now felt quite worried being away from Harvey.

He snivelled miserably on the stool, looking down at his knees and rubbing at his eyes. What a stupid way to begin the day.

He heard Harvey finally come back in the room and looked up hopefully, only to have the older man walk away to the kitchen to make some toast. Mike snuffled and looked back down.

Time-outs sucked.

He continued to stare down at his lap until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking over at it, he saw Harvey crouching next to him, a small smile on his face. "I'm sorry," Mike burbled, burying his face in Harvey's chest, reaching to grab Harvey's arms as he was pulled into the older man's lap. Harvey moved so that he himself was sat on the stool and rubbed Mike's back. "I won't cry wolf again, promise," Mike whimpered, going to suck his thumb before pulling it away, pulling a face at the offending digit.

Harvey noticed this and smirked. He ran his fingers through Mike's hair and rocked slightly until the toddler was completely at ease again. "Are we going to work?" Mike asked softly, noticing that whilst Harvey was wearing a shirt, it wasn't buttoned all the way up, and he wasn't wearing a tie.

"I got a text from Donna threatening me," Harvey told him; the first time he'd spoken since issuing Mike with the time-out. "We aren't going anywhere."

"Oh," Mike seemed to droop at this news.

"What?" Harvey asked, leaning back so that he could look at Mike's face as the small boy twisted to look back at him.

"It's nothing - I mean, your apartment is awesome," Mike enthused. "And I like staying here, but - it's not that I always _enjoy _coming to work; well, that's not true, I _do _like my work, but when I don't _have _any work it's more fun to - "

"Mike, will you get on with it?" Harvey sighed.

"Can we go somewhere?" Mike asked. "It doesn't have to be anywhere special. Just like, out? Please?"

"It looks cold outside," Harvey said to him, eyeing the dark clouds approaching the skyline and watching the autumn breeze make the orange and brown leaves that had fallen from their trees dance around Harvey's balcony.

"We have coats," Mike said, as if Harvey was stupid. "Please?"

Harvey sighed, but _knew _that whatever he did, he wouldn't be able to say no. He hoped this feeling would fade when Mike was back to normal.

"Where did you have in mind?" Harvey asked, standing up from where he had admittedly been comfortable so he could place Mike on a chair and pour him some cereal.

"The park?" Mike offered.

Harvey raised an eyebrow as he poured the cereal. "After last time we went? No - if Donna ever heard that we went to another one - "

"It doesn't have to be a _play-park_," Mike informed him. "Just a park. We can just walk in the sun, have ice cream, you can... pick up chicks?"

Harvey snorted. "Right. Because every self-respecting man goes to a park to 'pick up chicks'."

"Surely it's better than a bar?" Mike reasoned, shoving the sugary cereal in his mouth. "I mean; a self-respecting man wouldn't want to pick up a drunk chick, right?" He had a twinkle in his eye as he remembered plenty of times he had picked someone up in a bar when they had _both _been drunk.

Harvey shook his head. "You seriously want to go the park?" Harvey asked, his eyebrow raised.

Mike shrugged. "It's better than wanting to go to the zoo, isn't it?" He asked, before his eyes became wider. "Harvey, can we - "

"No."

"You didn't - "

"I'm not going to the zoo. Not now, not when you're normal. Never."

* * *

><p>As Harvey was paying for the tickets into the zoo, he realised he had no idea how he got there. How had he, Harvey Specter, suddenly been <em>conned <em>into buying a ticket into the zoo for his small associate, who was at that moment pulling at his trouser leg and pointing over towards a sign that read: 'Sea Lion Show - 12 o clock'.

Harvey looked down at Mike after he collected the tickets and was met with a pouting face. "What?"

"Can we go see it?" Mike begged. "I've never even been in a zoo before!"

Well that explained the actual child-like excitement. At first Harvey was just afraid that Mike was slipping more and more into his childish state of mind, but he still seemed to be toeing the line between the two - if only just.

"What does a sea lion show consist of?" Harvey asked him as they slowly walked over to the sign.

"Sea lions," Mike answered obviously. "Doing... sea lion-y stuff... I don't know - didn't I just say I've never been to one before? How come you don't know?"

"Don't assume you're the only person in the world who has never been to a zoo," Harvey said to him, grabbing hold of his hand to stop him running excitedly to join the queue of waiting people, chatting about the upcoming show.

"You've never been either?" Mike asked in awe, trying to pull away from Harvey's firm grip. "This is going to be so fun!"

Harvey sighed, wishing he'd faked illness in order to stay in his apartment. "Okay, kid - we'll go sit in the seats for the sea lion show; but I'm going over ground rules with you - got it?" Mike nodded, yanking Harvey over to the sea lion arena, as the older man patted himself on the back on bringing the child harness Donna had bought on the first day. He would no doubt need it at some point.

When they were seated on the stone benches, Mike crawled onto Harvey's lap to try and steal as much of his heat as possible on the cold day. "Right; rules," Harvey began, instinctively pulling Mike's small hands into his own in an effort to warm them. "You _stay where I can see you_, got it?" Mike nodded furiously. "You stay in my eyeline, you don't run off, don't go off with anyone else - you do any of this and you'll _wish _a time-out was on the cards. Got it?"

Mike nodded again, yanking at Harvey's hands. "I'm not stupid, Harvey!" He said sullenly. "I know what to do."

Harvey simply hummed in response. However, he then realised he had a kind of bartering chip. "If you break any of these rules then I'm strapping you in a harness and walking you around on a leash all day," he said, smirking at Mike's furious face.

"Harvey that's not fair!"

"Yes it is - you disobey me you pay the consequences," Harvey thought it was quite obvious and fair. Mike fell back on him, pouting - he refused to be tied up like a dog and paraded around. Sure, the obvious solution would be to not disobey Harvey, but he was now thinking of ways to get out of the punishment.

He forgot about sulking as a woman in a wetsuit walked out in front of them. Tugging at Harvey excitedly, Mike leant forward, eager to watch. Harvey rolled his eyes and watched as well. To his surprise it was quite interesting, but he still thought that there would be better ways to spend his afternoon. He sighed and felt his blackberry vibrate in his pocket. He gently moved Mike, who was engrossed in the show and looked at the text he had just received.

_Harvey, I'm glad you decided not to come in today - you can't feel worse, because I'd have gotten a call by now off Mike. So I'm assuming you two are doing something fun together :3 I'm coming round tonight - I've been working on Mike's costume for Halloween so I need to measure him now and make sure it'll fit for tomorrow - he'll love it!_

Harvey smirked. Donna knew him well. Actually, Donna knew full stop. The woman was clearly some sort of goddess. He got a nudge in his ribs. "Harvey, that sea lion's called Harvey as well!" Mike told him excitedly, as the announcer 'introduced' them to the sea lions.

"His mother clearly had taste," Harvey muttered, quickly typing a reply back to Donna. He had forgotten about Halloween. Thank God Donna texted him when she did. The party at the firm was tomorrow - if he remembered correctly from previous years, it started in the afternoon; usually around 4 o clock, and the clients and their children, as well as employees and _their _children all arrived - dressed up and ready to have fun.

Harvey rolled his eyes. The idea of adults dressing up to eat candy was just alien to him. He wondered what Louis' costume would be...

Last year it had been... odd. None of the associates had the courage to ask him who he was supposed to be. Harvey had come right out and asked; finding it hard to believe that the man in front of him was Nikola Tesla. If Mike had been there that year he would have probably known, Harvey thought. It seemed like the kind of thing Mike's freakish brain would understand.

Harvey wasn't sure _why _Louis had come as Tesla... Some sort of power trip? He'd probably dress up as God tomorrow.

"Harvey," he shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts and looked down at Mike's disapproving face. "You weren't watching! It's finished!"

"Thank God," Harvey muttered, slowly standing as he balanced Mike on his hip. He now deemed himself an expert at carrying children, as no matter how much Mike struggled as he insisted that he wanted to pet the sea lions because everyone else was, Harvey kept a firm grasp, even as he took his phone back out to text Donna again.

"Harvey, they were letting people touch the sea lions!" Mike was pouting. "Haven't you ever wanted to pet one?"

"No," Harvey replied, once more putting his blackberry back in his pocket.

Mike started to wriggle again, causing Harvey to just put him on the floor but still keep a tight grip of the hood of Mike's jacket as the crowd surged forward to get away from the show. "Harveeey," he whined petulantly, struggling with all his might. "There'll be crowds! We need to go _now_!"

Harvey kept an eye on his associate's wriggling and decided that their first stop would be the toilets.

* * *

><p>"Harvey, what are we looking at now?" Mike asked, tugging Harvey's hand.<p>

"Zebras," Harvey replied, craning his neck to see them properly. The fence was too tall for Mike to see over, and even if it wasn't, the crowds that Mike had been worried about were out in full force and even Harvey was having trouble seeing over other people's heads.

"I can't see," Mike whimpered, before finding himself being lifted up - higher than he had been before and found his legs on either side of Harvey's neck, as he sat straddling his shoulders. He quickly grabbed hold of Harvey's hair.

"Careful," Harvey growled, wincing as his hair was pulled tightly. "You can relax - believe it or not I've given a few piggy-back rides before; you'll be safe."

Mike started to relax, slowly unwinding his fingers from Harvey's hair but still keeping his hands atop the older man's head. He knew that Harvey wouldn't let him fall.

"Can you see now?" Harvey asked.

"Yeah - they don't look very happy," Mike observed.

"I can't imagine why they should look happy," Harvey said. "It's cold, and this doesn't exactly look like their natural habitat. And everyone's staring. I don't think _you'd _like it."

Mike decided he wouldn't. But it didn't stop him tapping Harvey (sometimes quite firmly) on the top of his head imperiously, demanding to see the next animal or get closer.

* * *

><p>Harvey had never been out for a meal with a toddler before. It didn't seem to matter that Mike was still in there - he could still drop food, pout, sulk, talk too loudly and complain and then come close to having a tantrum.<p>

After Harvey had managed to avert each and every one of these disasters using various techniques of blackmail, threats, bribery and near-pleading he was happily paying the bill so they could leave quickly, and turned as he was putting the receipt in his pocket.

Mike wasn't there.

He had been _right _there.

Shit.

"Have you seen that kid who was with me?" Harvey asked the waiter, who blinked in surprise.

"Uh, no, Sir, I haven't - maybe he went into the gift shop next door?" He offered. "It draws lots of kids in; very colourful and loud. Would you like me to call security?" He asked.

Harvey shook his head. "He won't have gotten far. And he's probably in the gift shop," without even giving his thanks, Harvey walked through some doors and into the loud, bright shop next door. There were puzzles, postcards, sweets, books - every gift under the sun; what would have grabbed Mike's attention?

Soft toys. He turned around to find a long wall full of different animal toys. Harvey just _knew _that Mike would want one.

Not that he'd get one, Harvey thought grimly, as he surveyed the shop - he'd be lucky to get _dinner _after running off.

He finally spotted a small blonde head near the toys and relief flooded through him as the kid saw him and ran up to him - even if he was clutching a toy in his hands. "Harvey! Look at how much stuff is in here! Can I - "

"Mike, what were you thinking?" Harvey asked, kneeling and taking Mike's shoulders in his hands. "What was my number one rule?"

"Don't wander off - but I saw this, and I - "

Harvey silenced him by holding up a finger. "And what did you do?"

"I wandered off, but, Harvey, the - "

"No," he silenced the boy again. "What did I say would happen if you did that?"

"You'd put me..." Mike tailed off as he realised what the consequence would be. "No, please - Harvey, I don't _want _to be put in a harness!"

"And I don't _want _a kid who walks off, even though I told him not to," Harvey said firmly, rubbing Mike's arm slightly.

"But, I... But..." Shit, the kid was turning the waterworks on. "I'm sorry - _please _don't put me in one - I'll do _anything_!"

Harvey quirked an eyebrow. "You'd rather have a time-out at home?" Had he just referred to his own apartment as 'home'? Hell even before all this he never referred to it as he own home, let alone as a shared one.

Mike didn't seem to notice Harvey's wording dilemma and seemed torn between his own. "I don't want a time-out _or _a harness."

"One or the other," Harvey told him firmly. "It's up to you."

It was a testament to just how much Mike hated time-outs that he shook his head. "Harness, I guess... But I'm tired now!" He said quickly. "You'll have to carry me anyway!"

Harvey saw right through this lie and smirked. "Sure, kid, whatever. Now," he stood up, "what are you holding?"

"It's a sea lion!" Mike held it out for inspection. It looked incredibly fluffy and squashy, and Harvey was fairly sure that along with Mike's large eyes and the tight clutch he had on the toy; it would be a staple in his condo for the next few days.

God.

Days...

"So, can I?"

Harvey looked down. "Can you what?"

Mike seemed to misunderstand. "Can I - _please_?"

Harvey gave up. "Sure, kid - but this means longer in the harness."

Mike pouted but agreed, and was soon walking out of the shop clutching his new toy. "It looks like Harvey!"

"What?" Harvey was struggling with Mike who seemed to be fighting the harness regardless of his consent to wearing it.

"The sea lion in the show! I'm calling this Harvey!"

"Right," Harvey nodded and straightened, tugging the harness slightly to make sure the straps didn't rub or unfasten. He suddenly felt the pulling in his own hands.

"Come on, Harvey - the penguins!"

* * *

><p>Harvey was thoroughly worn out - he had been the one to be dragged around by a leash as Mike seemed to be a never-ending whirlwind of energy. They saw what Harvey thought was every animal imaginable and then saw various other water shows - including the penguins that Mike had been desperate to see. He had then pulled a cranky Mike back to the car and unclipped him, only to clip him back up in the carseat.<p>

Thankfully, he had fallen asleep on the way home, so all Harvey had to do was pick him up and then place him on the couch. Mike snuggled up to his new sea lion contentedly and Harvey went to pour himself a drink.

Mike had just under a week left before he was normal again - as long as that scientist was telling the truth. An odd feeling passed through Harvey's gut. What if she hadn't been? How concerned would he be? He quickly shook his head to get rid of these thoughts - he wanted his associate back.

He wanted to laugh at himself - what was attractive about having a 3 year old forever? Well, obviously he would grow - but it would be expensive, he would need plenty of time off work; if it was the sudden affection he wanted then he might as well just buy a dog.

His door knocked, and he thankfully opened it, wanting to stop thinking about these things. Donna was stood there, her cheeks pink from the cold but her eyes sparkling. "How was your day?" She asked, walking into the apartment, clutching something in a large bag.

"It was fine - I was forced into going to the zoo," Harvey told her, forcing nonchalance to ooze from his statement.

As he expected, she gave a happy shriek. "You did? Why wasn't I invited? Was it fun? Did Mike had fun? Did you take any pictures?" He let her ask him more questions, keeping one in the corner of his mind. Towards the early afternoon a professional photographer for the zoo had snapped a picture of both of them at the lion enclosure - Mike was still on Harvey's shoulders and resting his chin on top of the older man's head as he pointed to something, whilst Harvey had his hands wrapped safely around Mike's legs, smiling in response to something Mike had said. The man had asked if they wanted a copy, and Mike nodded before Harvey could say anything.

That picture was now hidden somewhere in Harvey' apartment. He wouldn't admit to keeping it.

"Harvey?" Mike wandered over, rubbing at his eyes with one bunched up fist and dragging Harvey the sea lion over with his other hand whilst yawning. He saw Donna and smiled. "Hi, Donna!"

"Hi, sweetie," she said back, beaming at him. "I heard you went to the zoo - was it fun?"

"Yeah, we saw loads of shows, and I couldn't see some animals, but Harvey put me on his shoulders, and then he even bought me Harvey!" He showed her the sea lion.

"You called that 'Harvey' as well?" She asked, fighting to stifle her giggles.

"One of the sea lions was called Harvey, apparently," the real Harvey said to her, rolling his eyes.

"So what's the excuse with the teddy?" She asked mischievously. Harvey looked overat her curiously as Mike reddened.

"Why are you here?" He quickly asked, trying to deflect.

Donna held up her bag in reply. "I finished making your Halloween costume!" She said happily, pulling it out. All Mike saw was a bundle of white.

"What is it?" He asked curiously, prodding at it. It felt thick and warm, and Donna quickly unzipped the back and put him in it, zipping it up before sticking his arms through the holes and putting his fingers into the attatched gloves. As a finishing touch, she pulled the hood up.

"Tadaa!" She trilled, turning him to show Harvey, whose mouth twitched. "Well?" She asked him. Mike looked at him too.

"Looks good, kid," he said, trying to keep the smile off his face. Donna had somehow made a replica of the costume worn in one of Mike's now favourite books 'Where The Wild Things Are' by the central character, Max. A wolf costume, if Harvey remembered rightly.

"He's so cute!" Donna gushed, causing Mike to blush and find a mirror, giggling as he saw his reflection. He batted the pipe cleaner whiskers in delight and bared his teeth at his mirror-self.

"Donna it's awesome! Thank you!" He gave her a hug, and she lifted him in the air slightly.

"You're welcome, sweetie!" She beamed at him. He smiled back and yawned slightly. "Harvey, put this boy to bed," Donna said to him, relinquishing her hold and going to make herself a drink in the kitchen.

Harvey rolled his eyes but looked down at Mike. "Come on, wild thing," he quipped, holding out his hand to be taken. Mike giggling and pretended to swipe his 'paw' at it, making mock growls and scampering away into - what Harvey was happy to see - his office. Mike leapt on the bed, his sudden burst of energy now gone as he sat there. Harvey went over to him and pulled the hood down softly, unzipping the back while he was at it. He quickly took the costume off and laid it on the chair at his desk.

He went back to his own bedroom and grabbed a pull-up and Mike's pyjamas; freshly washed. When he got back to the office, Mike was pretty much asleep. "Give me a bit of help here, kid," Harvey said softly, undressing the small boy and - realising Mike would be no help - pulled the pull-up on the toddler and then bundled him into his pyjamas.

"Thanks for today, Harvey," Mike yawned, too tired to care as he started to suck his thumb. He crawled onto Harvey's lap rather than into bed, and Harvey let him, resting against the wall as he sat on the bed and stroked Mike's hair, fingers caressing and carding through each soft strand.

"No problem, kid," Harvey told him.

"'was fun," the toddler mumbled, turning to cuddle into Harvey's chest. Harvey started to rub Mike's back as though it were simply second nature to him.

"I'm glad."

"Never got to do things like this before..."

"Well you've done it now."

"I like h'vin' a good Dad..." Mike fell asleep, his last words mumbled so Harvey could pretend to ignore them.

But he couldn't.

"Come on," he said quietly, moving to put Mike in the bed, tucking him in. "Time for bed, Mikey," he ran his fingers through Mike's hair one last time before putting the light out and leaving - propping the door open slightly so that some light shone in.

"I'd say you're well and truly up Caring Creek, my friend" Donna quipped to him, filing her nails from her position on the couch.

He couldn't agree more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Harvey has got this parenting thing _down _;) Soooo - hopefully you all enjoyed; and hopefully you aren't disappointed with the costume I chose - here's a link to a picture of what he looks like :P**

**http:/ daisyjanie . typepad . com / daisyjanie / 2009 / 10 / max-costume-circa-1999 . html **

**Obviously, as always, get rid of the spaces :P So, yeah I hope you all liked it, please review, because I swear nothing cheers me up more than seeing you lovely lot responding :3**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Yay, the kind of, sort of highly anticipated Halloween scene! (Yay for rhyming!) So, thank you all, as always, SO MUCH for all your reviews, I love each and every one :3 I hope you enjoy this chapter :D And look how much I love you! See I long I made it? :) *cough 8,000 words, cough***

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><p>When Harvey woke up that morning, the first thing he did was swear.<p>

Loudly.

His eyes had fluttered open as he slowly woke up and as they did so, he found himself staring into large blue eyes, that stayed focussed on his; unblinking.

So, doing what any normal, shocked person would do, he leapt up and yelled: "Son of a bitch!"

Mike tumbled backwards in surprised, and was only caught as Harvey then leapt forwards to snatch him before he fell off the bed. He felt like he was in some sort of bizarre cartoon, as he was literally holding Mike by the pull-up with one hand as the kid was about 3 inches away from faceplanting the carpet. Hauling him back onto the bed, Harvey surveyed him with a cool eye.

"What were you doing?" He asked, now sure that Mike wasn't hurt in anyway.

"I came to see if you were awake," Mike told him. "I can't sleep," Harvey glanced at the clock.

"Mike, it's quarter to five in the morning," Harvey groaned, falling back down on the pillow. "We don't even need to be at the firm until about 3 this afternoon. Go do something else."

"Like what?" Mike questioned, fidgeting.

"I very generously bought you a sea-lion yesterday. Play with that."

"Harvey's not a morning animal," Mike explained patiently.

"It's not just his name that's sensible," Harvey grumbled, rolling over so he was facing away from Mike. Where was Donna when he needed her?

That's right; in bed, asleep - like every other normal person in the world.

"Mike, go watch TV or something," Harvey mumbled, already finding it very easy to fall back to sleep.

"Are you coming?" He heard Mike ask, as his eyes closed once more.

"No."

"But I'll be lonely!" Mike wailed.

"I don't care," Harvey muttered. He was tired and just because Mike was practically _begging _for his company, it didn't mean that Harvey would get out of bed for him. All the more reason to stay in bed and sleep. He heard Mike whine slightly but refused to give in. He _would_ win this fight.

"I'll just get in this bed then!" Mike decided, pretending he didn't hear Harvey's groan. He crawled under the covers and snuggled closer as Harvey's warm body felt incredibly pleasant on the cold October morning. Harvey grumbled but pulled Mike closer to him, wincing as he felt how cold the toddler was.

"How long have you been up?" Harvey grumbled.

Mike shrugged. "I don't know. But you're comfy," he decided.

Harvey rolled his eyes. "It's good to know that you babble exactly the same with lack of sleep when you're a kid as well. I guess I have to take my associate back to the store for being a faulty adult."

"Don't have a lack of sleep," Mike mumbled.

"Sure thing, kid," Harvey said, closing his eyes once more.

"'M'not tired," Mike told him drowsily.

"Of course not," Harvey muttered in reply, feeling extraordinarily comfortable - even with a limpet attatched to his side. He heard Mike yawn and smirked, feeling himself falling asleep as well.

* * *

><p>When he next awoke, it was at a more respectable hour. He found that the nice warmth that had been in his bed had apparently moved on a while ago, as the space between the other side of the bed and himself was now cold. He stretched and got up, rubbing his face to get rid of anymore sleep.<p>

A thump and a wail issued from the living room, and Harvey resisted the urge to bolt off his bed and run in there. He knew by now that most of the things that occurred could easily be made better with a cuddle... and he couldn't believe he just thought that. Harvey Specter didn't do _cuddles_... No, just... manly... _embracing_.

He got up anyway - what kind of self-respecting pare - _non_-parent wouldn't go see what was wrong with their kid?

Entering the room with the kind of wariness that only seemed to spring up when in regards to Mike, he ran a hand over his face once more and sighed, before going over to kneel next to the small boy who was on the floor, rubbing at his knee and sniffling pathetically.

"What did you do?" He asked exasperatedly. Again, a feeling he only seemed to get around Mike.

"Just fell of the couch," Mike mumbled, looking down at his knee while his lip wobbled.

"I think you're fine, kid," Harvey told him after extending the leg to make sure there would be no bone sticking out, no scream of agony issuing... Just a barely formed bruise.

Mike sniffed and looked up at him with pathetic, round eyes. "Kiss it better?" He asked.

Harvey snorted. "Yeah, and then afterwards how about we host a tea-party with some dolls?"

Mike give him a small smirk. "I just wondered if you'd do it or not - testing to see how soft you've gotten."

"Harvey Specter doesn't get _soft_," he told Mike, standing up. "Right," he said, glancing at the clock. "It's half past 10. I'm going to have a shower, get dressed and then I'll make breakfast. You," he pointed to Mike, who seemed to snap to attention like a soldier, "are going to get dressed and wait in here for me. After breakfast I need to do some paperwork - and then at 3 we'll go to the firm."

"What are you dressing as?" Mike asked, remembering it was the Halloween party that day.

"The best damn closer in the city," Harvey replied. He had no intention of dressing up whatsoever.

* * *

><p>"Harvey," Mike whined. "You <em>have <em>to dress up! Everyone is! Even Jessica!"

"And if Jessica jumped off a bridge..." Harvey muttered, pretending to be immersed in the football on TV. Mike crawled up, already wearing his costume. The pipe cleaner whiskers came close to poking Harvey in the eye a few times, but Mike happily got onto Harvey's knee, wriggling excitedly.

"When are we going?"

"It doesn't start until 4, but employees need to be there for 3," Harvey informed him. "We'll leave at quarter to 3."

"But that's in ten minutes!" Mike told him, as if Harvey wasn't aware of the fact. The older man looked down at him with a raised eyebrow which spoke louder than words. Mike frowned at him and clambered off his knee. "How about you go as a Yankees fan?" He suggested. "Then you can just wear your jersey!"

Harvey actually thought this wasn't a bad idea. He still didn't want to dress up though. But looking down at Mike's round eyes, his excited expression and the proud tone in his voice at his idea, Harvey found that he couldn't say no.

Damn.

He _was _going soft.

* * *

><p>When they first arrived at the firm, Mike was tugging on Harvey's trouser leg, just at the knee. Harvey was wearing a pair of expensive jeans an a less expensive Yankees jersey. He felt like he had come into the office on his day off. Apart from the Halloween decorations. He looked at them disdainfully - Jessica really loved Halloween.<p>

By the time they got to their floor; where most of the party would be located, Mike was wriggling excitedly and pulling at Harvey's jeans leg. Eventually he just let go and ran off, into the crowd.

"Mike!" Harvey shouted, but gave up. Security was everywhere today in case a child got over-excited and ended up somewhere they shouldn't. Harvey decided he would just go and find Donna.

He found her quite quickly; in less than a minute he found her in complete witch's garb - thankfully with a small boy dressed up as a 'wolf' hanging onto her skirt. "Mike - how many times do we have to have that discussion about you running off?" Harvey asked, giving Donna a small smile as a hello.

"Sorry, Harvey," Mike said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "There's just... too much colour."

"What?" Harvey asked, confused.

"There are loads of things happening right now - and the kid brain is getting _really _excited and wants to do everything at once, and there's so many different colours I don't know where to look... And the adult brain is trying to stop it, meaning I just get really confused... Sorry," he looked up at Harvey, chewing on one of his 'claws'. Harvey removed the digit from his mouth as if it was simply second nature and then looked around.

There _was _a lot of colour now Harvey looked. It was as if Jessica wanted everyone to have fits. "Nice costume," he flashed a smirk at Donna.

"Thank you," she replied, swishing the skirt that stopped just around her calves, a slight slash coninuing up her thigh. The top tastefully stopped just underneath her collarbone, but that didn't stop various men staring occasionally. Even some associates had the balls to look. The only males exempt from this were Harvey and Mike. Harvey had simply known her too long and loved her as a sister, and Mike - as well as being scared to even attempt to look - was too confused by everything happening to do anything.

"Harvey - are you _actually _dressed up?" Jessica appeared beside them. Harvey fell silent at the sight of her.

"Are you - are you Isis?" Mike asked, staring up at her with wide eyes.

"Cleopatra," Jessica replied.

"But Cleopatra dressed up as Isis a lot, so are you just being Cleopatra, or are you Cleopatra-as-Isis?" Mike tried to determine, as if it was an everyday conversation.

Jessica brought out a warm smile that Mike had never seen before. "I'll leave that up to you," she said. She was about to continue before Louis approached, and Mike burst out laughing. The Junior Partner was dressed as a matador, and Mike couldn't help but laugh at the stupid twirly moustache that Louis had stuck on his face.

"What's so funny?" Louis asked. He was already angry with the kid for not wanting to work with him, and his temper was on a very short fuse - some other kids had laughed as well.

Mike stuck some claws in his mouth to stop any more giggles from coming out and looked up at Harvey for help. "Louis - you're wearing a moustache," Harvey said.

"What about it?"

"You look ridiculous."

"So does your jersey."

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way, Louis - but your wife picked it out of your wardrobe for me."

"_Boys_," Jessica said in a warning tone before touching her diadem slightly to readjust it. "I trust you'll both behave for today? I don't want any children having to witness one of your fights."

Harvey smirked. "Don't worry, Jessica - didn't you say you were going to have Louis run the apple-bobbing game? I'm sure he'd be great," Harvey was well aware that the Junior Partner not only disliked apples, but he also had some sort of phobia regarding putting the whole of his face in water.

Jessica, however, didn't know this.

"That's a wonderful idea, Harvey," she smiled. She was still slightly annoyed at Louis after Donna told her how he had made Mike cry. She didn't have any feelings of favouritism - but the fact that he was simply a little boy made it inexcusable in her eyes. "Louis go get set up - one of the paralegals was doing it, but I'm sure she'd like a hand."

Louis snarled at Harvey but left, not being able to say 'no' to Jessica. Mike pulled the claws from his mouth and proceeded to giggle again.

"I need to get back to mingling," she told Harvey. "I hope you boys have fun," she gave a small smile and walked away gracefully - looking every inch the Egyptian Queen/Goddess she was portraying.

"I don't want to do the apple-bobbing anymore," Mike told Harvey, tugging at his jeans. "I really don't feel like drowning today."

Harvey chuckled. "I don't think Louis has any intentions of rigging it so that you drown, Mike. Look," he said, seeing some clients come in - even though he didn't like coming to these things he still came each year to catch up with old clients, "go play or something. Go eat candy until you throw up or just go annoy Louis. Go play with some of the other kids while I talk, okay?"

Mike looked around whilst Harvey was waiting for confirmation that this would be what Mike would do. Instead, the small boy glanced at the kids - loud, already hyper, wearing cool costumes and being very... kid-like - and shrank back, clutching at Harvey.

"Mike," he sighed patiently. "They won't kill you. Just go over - you had fun in that playground, right?"

"I got pushed down a slide," Mike reminded him, not letting Harvey walk away without him.

Harvey sighed. He couldn't work his usual charm and magic with a three year old dressed as 'king of the wild things' on his legs. "Look, Mike - I need to talk to people; will you just go interact with other human beings?"

"Sure," Mike agreed. "As long as they're my age and understand law terms. If not, I'm not going over. Besides - that one looks scary..."

Harvey looked over to the one Mike was pointing at. The kid was dressed as some sort of alien thing with large teeth protruding from his mouth. Harvey raised an eyebrow. Who the hell dressed their kid like that? At least Mike didn't look different - there were others dressed as tigers, dogs - one little girl was a cat. Although at least Mike seemed to be getting the most amount of 'awws', Harvey thought smugly with a bit of pride.

"Well don't go near him," Harvey said. "Mike, I need to talk to these people - just go and play nice, okay?" He patted him on the head and left. Mike looked around. Donna had already gone to talk to other people - he spotted her with Norma, who was dressed as a rather dumpy fairy godmother. He felt incredibly lost, and pushed at his eyes to make sure that the tears that were slowly building wouldn't be seen.

He hated this. He wanted to have turned up as a _normal _associate, one that would have worn a cool outfit. To be fair, his little side _adored _his Max costume, and even his older side thought it was kinda cool. But he wanted this to be over. He wanted to have come and mingled with Harvey's clients, and to have stood to one side and laughed himself silly with Harvey about Louis' costume. He quickly ducked under a desk to wipe away any tears so that if Harvey were to look over he wouldn't feel disappointed to see that he was stood on his own, crying.

He resolved to get involved. It didn't matter that those kids were loud and hyper... He could be just as loud and hyper. He just needed to find some sugar. It was no different from a night out. Being surrounded by drunk people is no fun unless you are drunk yourself.

He got out from under the table and bravely pushed into the crowd of excited children. There was some sort of 'scary' puppet show going on. He snorted as a pumpkin appeared at the side of the 'stage' and all the kids squealed. The older kids sat at the back, giggling at the smaller children but seemed quite into it. Mike decided to sit in the crowd - if only because he could see they would get candy at the end of it.

Meanwhile, Harvey was pretending to laugh at a joke made by a client. While the man was distracted by his grandaughter, Harvey took the chance to roll his eyes and look around to see where Mike was. He had been expecting to see him clutching onto Donna, wary of the other children, but instead found him in the audience of the puppet show Jessica had hired. He seemed immersed, and Harvey wouldn't have been surprised if the tail on his costume had started wagging, so eagerly was he sitting forward.

He chuckled and was startled to hear his client talk again. "One of them yours?" The man asked, tilting his head over to the crowd of children now grabbing candy from the puppets.

"Nephew," Harvey lied easily. "He's staying with me for a few days - that one over there," he pointed to Mike and tried not to wince as he saw the kid get loads of chocolate. He would be up _all _night.

"Cute kid," the client said, smiling at him. Harvey gave him a small smile back and turned to watched as Mike came bounding over.

"Mike, this is Foster Adams, a client - Mr Adams, this is my _nephew_," he stressed the word so Mike would understand, "Mike."

"Hi," Mike said, smiling, before turning to Harvey, thankfully understanding their lie. "Uncle Harvey, they're giving out smores over there!"

"Of course they are," Harvey grumbled. "If you throw up, I am _not _giving you _any _sympathy."

Mike smiled at him, chocolate smeared over his face. "Are you coming to listen to some ghost stories?"

"Can't you see I'm talking?"

"Can't you see they're about to start?" Mike responded, tugging at Harvey's jeans.

The older man raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to look down at my jeans in 3 seconds. If there is even the _slightest _bit of chocolate on them..."

Mike quickly left the area before Harvey could look down. Mr Adams chuckled. "I wish my Katherine was still that age," he said, a small, nostalgic glint in his eye. "She's 24 now and thinks she knows everything - elders will never know best in her eyes."

"I know the feeling," Harvey smirked, thinking of his associate. But now he just felt really old, talking about 'those kids nowadays'. "Mr Adams - as always, it's been a pleasure; I should probably make sure Mike doesn't throw up tonight. Excuse me," he shook the man's hand and left, weaving around small children to find one with a white bushy tail and the matching ears.

* * *

><p>"So your Uncle works here?" Mike looked around as he overheard some kids older than him (Physically, he stressed), talking to an intimidating looking one who looked about 11 and was dressed like Tom Cruise out of 'Top Gun'.<p>

"Yeah - my Uncle Kyle; he's the best associate here," the kid showed off to the other older children. "He works for a lawyer called Louis and everyone says he's the best lawyer here!"

"My Dad told me that Harvey Specter was the best," another boy said, who was dressed as Rocky - or maybe just a normal boxer, Mike wasn't sure - and was sipping from a cup of juice.

"Uncle Kyle says that he went downhill after he got a new associate," Kyle's nephew said. "He says that _he _would have been better. But the new one... I can't remember his name. He says 'golden boy' a lot. And 'Speed Bump'."

Mike crushed his fists in anger. He would never live that one case down. "Your Uncle's a terrible associate," Mike said, turning on the kids, his teeth gritted. "That's why he's working with Louis - they're both appalling; they belong with each other!"

The older kids looked stunned at this. A little kid, telling _them _off?

"Shut up, you _baby_," Tom Cruise snarled. "Look at what he's wearing!" He turned to the other kids, who thought they were infinitely cooler with their aviator/boxer/Indiana Jones outfits (Although Mike was slightly jealous of that last one. He'd make an _awesome _Indie).

They laughed at the outfit that Donna had been so kind to make. That was what made him angry. He didn't care that they didn't like his costume. But _Donna _had made it. The older kids jumped out of the way as Mike threw a punch with his small fist and landed it right on Tom Cruise's nose. The child's hands flew to his face and he cried out in surprise. The other kids ran quickly as Mike stood there, staring at his fist in shock.

He had actually just punched an 11 year old.

He was quite proud.

Only...

Now his fist was hurting.

He'd put all of his strength towards that one punch and had angled it oddly, so his fist was all red and he could see some small bruises forming around his fingers when he pulled his felt claws down. His lip wobbled but he refused to cry in front of Nephew-douche of the year. Who - Mike was happy to see - _was _crying.

"Desmond, your Dad said that you'd been having boxing lessons!" Mike heard Kyle (Who he saw was dressed as Batman) approaching and tried to make himself scarce, but found he couldn't move. He was still trying not to cry. "Why are you sitting on the floor crying? Your Dad said it would be good if you had fights with the other boys - it would toughen you up! Who did you hit? I hope you got at least one good punch in or your Dad won't be happy."

Mike stared, but finally let one small sob out. This made the Uncle-douche of the year turn around. Kyle seemed to sigh. "Look, kiddo - I know you're not that great at fighting yet, but you can't just beat up little kids. He looks about 3!"

"_He_ hit _me_!" Desmond wailed. Mike couldn't wipe the smirk of his face, even as he flexed his fingers and felt tears rising.

"Of course he did," Kyle sighed. "How about we tell your Dad that you got into a fight with a bigger kid, alright?" Kyle was about to lead his nephew away, when he noticed Harvey appearing. Ever the eager associate, he straightened up from the crouch he was in when talking to his nephew and turned to Harvey. "Mr Specter, how are - "

"You alright?"

Kyle looked startled at this. "Uh... yes, Mr Specter, thanks for ask - "

"I'm okay - I hurt my hand," the kid who had been whimpering near him said pathetically, as if holding back tears. Kyle watched as Harvey bent down and scooped the little kid up, carefully looking at the hand, before covering it back up with the costume.

"You'll be fine. Want to tell me what you did?"

The kid had the nerve to look over at Kyle guiltily before shaking his head and hiding his face in Specter's neck.

"You'll talk, kid - maybe we should see if Donna will ask you..." Harvey threatened the kid, and that's when Kyle finally caught up.

This was Ross.

They had been told what had happened, but Kyle hadn't seen Mike since he had left - normal-sized - with Specter that morning they had met with the scientist. So this was the result? The Golden Boy of Pearson-Hardman was just a little squirt wearing some sort of sleepsuit with an attatched hood that had ears? He wanted to laugh. Instead, he hastily ducked away to discuss this with Gregory.

However he looked, it was still fun to mess with Harvey Specter's associate.

* * *

><p>"Michael Ross, what did you do to your hand?" Donna asked as they found themselves a quiet corner in the room. Mike was eating some more candy as she examined his fingers and tried to stuff it all in his mouth at once so he could avoid the question.<p>

However, Donna was a very patient woman and was still looking at him when he was finished, with one eyebrow quirked, waiting. "Uh... There was this kid who's Kyle's nephew," he started, grinning at Harvey's eye roll. "And he was talking about how good Kyle and Louis are, and how terrible Harvey and I are, so I said something back, and they started... mocking me..."

Mike snuffled slightly. He was remembering all of the vicious comments that had been flung at him throughout school. When they realised he could remember everything, when he became top of the class - those times when Trevor wasn't in and there was no one to defend him. Even when his parents died.

"Aw, sweetie - what did they say?" Donna asked, pulling him into a hug. Mike wanted to suck one of his claws, but just clutched at her desperately.

"Nothing that bad," he said - and it was true. He was just upset about the past. "But he uh... he started laughing at my costume and I - I was defending your honour!" He told Donna quickly, trying to soften the blow. "But, uh... then I punched him. In his nose. With my fist."

"You did _what_?" Donna said loudly, before turning on Harvey, who hadn't made any sound at all. "Harvey say something!"

"Was he hurt?" Harvey asked.

"I hope so," Mike said vehemently.

"Did anyone see?"

"Some older kids - no one will believe them though," Mike told him. Harvey's lips quirked slightly into a smile.

"And you said he was saying that we're bad lawyers?" Harvey asked.

Mike nodded. "Something along those lines."

"Good boy."

"Harvey!" Donna cried. "Don't encourage him!"

"It's not like he did anything bad," Harvey said.

"He punched a kid!"

"Who was bullying him," Harvey added. "I think that's fair," he plucked Mike from her arms, but rolled his eyes at her expression. "Okay - Mike; time-out for five minutes."

Donna pursed her lips at this light punishment, but Mike still pouted sullenly. "Don't like time-outs," Mike muttered.

"Should've thought about that before you said you punched a kid in front of Donna," Harvey said, ruffling his hair as he placed the small boy on a chair that was off to the side of the room.

"Ten minutes," Donna changed the time, the look on her face just _daring _one of them to argue. Harvey rolled his eyes again but said nothing, patting Mike on the shoulder and leaving to talk to Jessica. Donna crouched down in front of Mike. "I know you'll be normal in a few more days," Donna said. "And I know that I can't do anything then - but while you're like this; representing myself and Harvey, I want you behaving in an appropriate manner. You wouldn't punch anyone normally, would you? So if you want to enjoy the rest of this party, I suggest you sit here quietly and then afterwards I will take you to that boy and make you apologise."

"But, Donna - "

"No buts, Michael," she said sternly. Her firey side broke through when she noticed a kid stood with the slimeball who beat Mike at the mock-trials, holding his nose and sniffing. "Is that the boy?" Mike nodded hatefully. "He's..."

"Kyle's nephew. He said that Kyle was better than me as an associate."

Donna appeared to be thinking about this. "Ten minutes," she repeated. "Only don't apologise. I think _I'll _go have a talk with him about how _not _to talk to toddlers," she gave him a kiss on the head and left, knowing Harvey would be keeping an eye on his watch so she had no need to set a timer.

Mike huffed as he stared down into his lap. He _knew _he shouldn't have punched that kid - but it was great to be cute enough to get away with it; Harvey had commended him. Even Donna couldn't stay mad at him. Would that stay, when he was normal? Could he get away with things just by widening his eyes and pouting? He gave a bitter laugh. Of course he couldn't.

"Hey, kid," he looked up to see Gregory - who was dressed like Elvis - and Kyle.

"What do you want?" He grumbled. Out of the many things about time-out he had had drummed into him was that he couldn't talk in a time-out.

"Want to come bobbing for apples?" Gregory asked, a smile on his face. "It's really fun - you win prizes!"

Mike wasn't stupid. He knew that Gregory and Kyle knew who he was. They hadn't seen him before, but he knew that Kyle had worked it out. They were just trying to trick him into going with them. He glared at them. "Go away."

"You win candy for just taking part," Gregory offered, a malicious beam on his face.

God help him, he knew he shouldn't, but Mike couldn't resist being tempted. He liked candy. Especially in this state. He couldn't resist and got off the chair - wincing as if it _pained _him to move from the time-out corner. Harvey had so skillfully used them that Mike had come to know when he was being put in them for a reason. Even if Harvey had been amused by what Mike had done, he had still put him in a time-out.

"I should really stay there and wait for Harvey," he said half-heartedly, following them over to the apple bobbing. It was practically empty - most of the children were listening to ghost stories in Jessica's office, and only one person was there - Louis.

He gave an odd smirk at seeing the two associates leading Mike towards it. "I see you boys want to apple bob?" Louis offered, staying away from the fresh bowl of water and apples.

"We've got this, Louis - if you want to do something else," Kyle said, smiling.

"Now that you mention it I did see someone dressed as Glinda who looked quite... intrigued by my costume," Louis said, walking away - eager for his chance with Glinda.

"Alright, kid," Kyle said, kneeling down as Gregory went around the other side and moved the bowl, spinning the apples a few times with his hands. "All you have to do is - "

"I know how to bob for apples," Mike said sullenly. He almost _wanted _to go back to his time-out rather than stay with these two.

"Well, go on then," Gregory insisted, sharing a smirk with Kyle that Mike didn't catch. The small boy thrust his head in the water, determined to catch an apple in under 10 seconds to prove to them that he was awesome. As soon as he opened his mouth, however, the water rushed in and he pulled out, spluttering and gagging.

"What's up, Ross?" Kyle asked, abandoning any pretence that he didn't know it was Mike. "You can dish it but you can't take it?"

Mike continued to cough, retching slightly. The water was salty. _Really _salty. He had clearly missed something when Gregory had moved the apples around. "Aw, is the poor little boy sick?" Gregory asked condescendingly. "Has he eaten too much candy?"

Mike clutched the bowl tightly as the other associates laughed, trying not to let them win and keeping everything in his stomach. What would teach them would be to vomit all over them both - but he really didn't like throwing up and he didn't want to let them win.

* * *

><p>Harvey strolled back to where he and Donna had placed Mike in time-out. He felt bad for the kid - and yeah while he agreed with Donna that Mike shouldn't have punched someone; he still didn't think he should be in time-out for 10 minutes.<p>

Which was why he was going to get him out of it early. Only one minute early, because even Harvey Specter wouldn't go against Donna, but he still wanted to make sure the kid was okay. 9 minutes in time-out was enough. However, when he got there, he raised an eyebrow to find that Mike was gone.

He knew Donna wouldn't have gotten him already, and he also knew that his timing was right. This meant that Mike had _left the time-out_.

He wouldn't do that, Harvey assured himself. The kid hated time-outs but he never wandered out of them. He thought of them as a serious punishment now. Glancing around, Harvey couldn't see anybody who looked like a 'king of the wild things'. He growled seeing two of the idiots who regularly tormented Mike in normal circumstances cackling by the apple bobbing. He had a bad feeling about that...

"Louis," Harvey said, grabbing the matador by his cape as he walked past with a woman in a sparkly dress. "Weren't you in charge of apple bobbing?"

"Some of the associates decided to do it - they were probably looking forward to seeing your kid fail..."

"Mike was with them?" He asked.

"Yeah - what, you let him out of your sight now?" Louis asked, following Harvey with interest as Glinda went to get them more drinks. They stopped next to the bucket as Mike was no longer retching but still crouching and spitting, his small fingers clutching onto the side of the bowl.

"What did you do?" Harvey snarled at the two idiots who jumped - not expecting Harvey Specter to appear behind them.

"N-nothing, Sir," Gregory stumbled over his words, feeling more nervous as Louis was stood behind Harvey with his eyebrow quirked. "Mike just stayed under for too long."

"They put s-salt in it," Mike whimpered, retching some more. Louis now raised both of his eyebrows and stared at the two associates.

"You put salt into a childrens' apple bobbing bowl?" He looked at them in disgust. "What's wrong with you?"

Harvey was surprised but happy to have Louis on his side for once, as this meant he could concentrate on Mike. "You okay, kid?" He asked soothingly, rubbing a hand on Mike's stomach as he held him.

"Can still taste the salt," Mike muttered, shuddering next to Harvey. The older man nodded and suddenly brought a juice carton out of nowhere. The man was turning into Donna, Mike thought, as he quickly drank the juice, eager to get rid of the taste. He felt slightly better as he saw Donna ripping Kyle's nephew a new one over teasing him.

"You feel like leaving?" Harvey asked softly, taking him away from where Louis was growling menacingly at Gregory and Kyle.

Mike shook his head. "No, Harvey! Let's stay! I feel good now - I haven't had enough candy; and they said something about carving jack-o-lanterns!" Mike told Harvey, pulling at his sleeve.

In all honesty, Harvey wanted to leave - every year he couldn't wait for an excuse to go, and now he had the perfect one - the kid was tired, he was over-excited, he'd had too much to eat. He had a plethora of excuses to choose from, but now he couldn't use any of them, as Mike looked at him with those large eyes.

"Fine," he muttered, letting the kid spill from his arms onto the floor. He watched as the small boy slowly went to join in with the other kids as they watched (from a distance, he was happy to see) as some of the employees and clients carved pumpkins with their children.

"Aren't you going with him?" Harvey turned to see Jessica stood next to him. "He's not allowed a lantern unless a parent or guardian helps. I'm sure one of them will look splendid in your kitchen," she smiled at him.

"Will you make sure that those associates that Louis is yelling at get suspended for two weeks without pay?" Harvey said - more of an order than a request.

Jessica seemed to let the tone slide, however. "Although I heard what happened and I sympathise, Harvey, I can't do that. It wasn't serious enough," she smirked at his indignant expression. "I can give you one week."

"That'll do," he huffed, seeing Mike gaze adoringly at the largest, perfectly round pumpkin on the table. Someone would use it soon, he thought - and then Mike would have to watch as someone else would take it home. "Excuse me," he said to Jessica, walking towards the crowd of children.

Mike jumped as a hand lay on his shoulder. "Harvey," he said happily, pelased to have the older man with him.

"I think our lantern will wipe the floor with theirs; what do you think?" Harvey asked him, a small smirk on his face. He loved to win - and he may never have carved many pumpkins before, but he was _damn _sure he wasn't going to fail.

"We're making a lantern?" Mike asked, his eyes going wide.

"I'm not having you crying because someone took the best one," Harvey said in a grumble that Mike could feel the falseness of. "That would just be embarrassing," with that he picked up the large, round one that Mike had been eyeing and set it down on the table, pulling Mike onto his lap.

"You can look but you don't touch - got it?" Harvey asked him.

"Got it," Mike nodded seriously, determined not to do anything else wrong tonight.

Jessica and Donna watched them with small smiles on their faces. "I've never seen Harvey like that," Jessica said to Donna, watching as Harvey said something to softly to the small boy on his lap, making Mike giggle and shuffle backwards, closer to him.

Donna smiled. She had. She had seen Harvey like this the majority of times she had seen him and Mike together after what happened to the associate. She had even seen this side of Harvey a few times before - late at night in the office when they thought everyone else had gone home, and Mike was falling asleep on the couch or jittery with too much red bull, and Harvey would have his mouth quirked in a real smile.

"Do you think he'll stay like this?" Jessica asked. She loved seeing a gentler side to Harvey, but had to admit that she would miss the old him terribly.

"In a way he hasn't changed," Donna told her, her smile still visible. "He's just letting Mike know someone cares. Lord knows that boy needs to know that once in a while," she sighed. It would be odd when he became normal again - she could probably come up with reasons to run her fingers through his hair and give him caring hugs every so often, but Harvey? He could maybe get away with one ruffle of the hair a year. There would be no comforting cuddles. She even shuddered at the thought. Harvey Specter didn't _do _cuddles.

"Give him a tie! Give him a tie!" She heard Mike squeal happily and chuckled, watching as Harvey carefully drew a tie on their pumpkin and then started to carve it out.

"Things are winding down now," Jessica said to her, motioning to all the tired yet happy children. "For the kids anyway - the adults' party is moving to a bar. I'm assuming Harvey won't be joining us?" She said, a twinkle in her eye.

"I think he'll be carrying Mike home if they stay any later," Donna said to her, seeing Mike rubbing at his eyes. She excused herself and went over to her boys. "Are you nearly finished?" Donna asked in a low voice. "I think most people are setting off now."

She smiled at the pumpkin - Harvey had done a good job of carving it - it was just a normal one, with eyes a nose and teeth (and a tie) but there was something about it that made her think that Harvey could have been a sculpter.

It would be just like Harvey to excell in anything he attempted, she thought, rolling her eyes.

"What do you think, Donna?" Mike asked her, chewing on a now soggy felt claw.

"I think it's beautiful," Donna told him, smiling. "I think you should get him home and light him soon, though."

Harvey nodded, seeing Mike trying not to sleep. "C'mon, kid - I was given something for you from one of my clients."

"What is it?" Mike asked excitedly as Harvey tried to juggle a child, a bag and a pumpkin. He didn't envy whoever had to clean up the scooped-out insides of the pumpkins.

"Something that will give me a headache," Harvey grumbled, saying a quick goodbye to Donna as they made their way outside. It was cold now, and dark; but thankfully Ray was waiting. Harvey managed to get Mike into the car without too much bother and soon had him strapped in.

"What do you have?" Mike asked, eagerly trying to look inside the bag. The pumpkin on his knee stopped him from seeing anything, however.

"Candy," Harvey muttered. "A bag full of candy."

"Awesome!" Mike beamed. "I wish I'd gone trick-or-treating," he said glumly. "Can we go?"

"No way, kid," Harvey said. "Even if you weren't about to pass out - it's just begging, and I am not walking around town asking strangers for food."

Mike rolled his eyes. He figured that Harvey would take that approach.

* * *

><p>They were soon as Harvey's apartment, and once inside, Harvey tried to get Mike out of his costume and into the bath. "Mike, stop being difficult," Harvey growled, fiddling with the zipper that Mike was trying to wriggle out of the way of Harvey's fingers. "You need a bath and ready for bed before I light this lantern."<p>

Mike pouted and sighed, allowing Harvey to take the costume off. He followed Harvey into the bathroom and as usual, found himself whimpering when his hair was washed. He also found it uncomfortably similar to his apple bobbing experience.

"Nearly done," Harvey said softly. "I know..." He said quietly as Mike gave a whimper. "I know... nearly done..." He used the same mantra every time he gave Mike a bath, soothing him when he tried to pull his head away. "See - that wasn't so bad," Harvey said, pulling Mike out and wrapping a towel around him, letting him dry himself as Harvey quickly dried his hair.

He was put into his pyjamas without any complaint and was soon placed on the kitchen counter, watching as Harvey lit the lantern on the kitchen table. He beamed as their pumpkin flared into life. It didn't seem creepy - he liked the way the eyes seemed to dance, and the smile wasn't sinister - it was a warm smile. Harvey picked him up and Mike couldn't help but snuggle into him, as he gazed at the lantern.

"C'mon, kiddo," Harvey said quietly. "Time for bed."

"Can I sleep in your bed?" Mike asked softly. He didn't want to sleep on his own tonight, not when they'd been so warm and close throughout the afternoon and evening.

"Sorry, kid," Harvey said. "You need to learn how to sleep in your own bed," he couldn't believe he'd just said that. Mike would be sleeping in his own bed just fine as soon as he'd turned back. Where was the harm in letting him share his bed? But he _had _bought another bed for a reason...

Mike was so reimbursing him for that bed.

"Alright, kid, come on," he carried Mike to his bed, laying him down on the silk covers. He covered him and ruffled his newly-washed hair, marvelling at how fluffy it was. "Night, Mike."

Mike didn't say anything back, already asleep and sucking his thumb. Harvey went into the kitchen to stare at the lantern for a while.

What would he do when Mike was normal again?

* * *

><p><strong>AN Yay for long chapters :D Long chapters equal long reviews, yeah? ;) Please keep the reviews coming, I get so inspired you wouldn't believe :) And I apologise in advance for any mistakes - I DO check, but I seem to miss some all the time *rolls eyes* Ah well, hope you enjoy :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews you guys :) ****And I know you're all hoping I keep Mike small at the end of this, and have a separate fic afterwards about growing up with Harvey - I guess you'll just have to wait and see what I do ;)**

* * *

><p>The first thing Mike noticed when he woke up was that he was once again in Harvey's bed. He felt quite bad that he was forever sleeping here when Harvey had bought a perfectly acceptable guest bed and Donna had been 'kind' enough to buy new, childish sheets. Still - this bed was comfortable, and it had something the other lacked - Harvey.<p>

At that moment in time, Mike realised that he was a) sucking his thumb _again,_ and b) cuddling into Harvey like his life depended on it. For his part, Harvey wasn't giving much of a reaction, but had one arm curled gracefully around Mike, resting gently over him.

Damn, he didn't think he could get used to not being like this when he was normal. He would have to become good friends with someone _very _quickly. Maybe Jenny could come stay for a few days... He shook his head. That would just be awkward. He shuddered at the thought of still wanting to cuddle up to Har - _someone _when he was normal again.

"Cold?" Harvey's question was a tired murmur in response to the shake that went through Mike. He didn't even wait for a response and just pulled his arms around Mike and pulled him slightly closer. Mike nuzzled into his chest before freezing.

Where was all this _need _springing from?

He reluctantly pulled his thumb from his mouth and shuffled away, getting out of bed.

"You okay?" Harvey asked, still just murmuring and not even opening his eyes.

"Yeah," was all Mike gave in answer and went out of the room, heading across to the study. He got onto the bed and gazed around, swinging his legs slightly with his hands clasped between them. This room seemed colder. It was all he could do not to shiver for real. He didn't know why but he really liked the attention and affection he had been getting lately. Donna had been piling it onto him as if he were giving off a starved-of-attention vibe (which he probably did, most of the time) and he was forever being given little kisses on his forehead, his hair smoothed - an oddly refreshing gesture from the hair ruffles he got from Harvey.

That was another thing.

Harvey.

He had gone from uncaring, only-looking-out-for-number-one lawyer to super-dad.

Mike severely hoped that Harvey couldn't read minds because _that _thought would take some explaining.

And Donna had gone from... all-knowing, slightly scary assistant to super-mom.

It probably wasn't that great a leap. He _knew _she had a maternal instinct in there somewhere.

He had enjoyed the attention that his gram tried to give when he was small but unfortunately couldn't always manage; juggling jobs to keep him fed and clothed. This time around though, it just reminded him of his parents. Before they died, they were great believers in physical and verbal affection. Whether it was a hug or some small praise on his latest book report, he never felt unloved. Always felt wanted.

And that's how he felt now. He secretly loved it when Donna smoothed out his hair, even when exchanging an embarrassed face with Harvey over her shoulder. He secretly loved it when Harvey gave him a piggy-back ride because he could _sense _that Mike was tired but also didn't want to look like a baby and get carried.

It was no secret that he loved any praise bestowed on him normally.

He just hoped that when he was normal again, all of the need for the physical affection just... went away. For now, however... He scowled down at the Harvey-bear he had started to squeeze in a hug - he hadn't even realised he'd picked it up!

What he wanted more than anything was to climb into the warm bed and fall back to sleep - hugging something that would hug back, regardless of how cold or squirmy he was. However, he decided that trying to stop himself was the best way to go. He thought of it as an affection detox. Soon he would be wishing Harvey would let him walk even if his feet were about to drop off.

To keep his mind off of it all, he decided to properly explore the flat. Most of the time he was here he was either asleep, throwing up, delirious, looking after a sick Harvey or close to sleep. Now he could just look in every cupboard and drawer. He started in the kitchen, and opened a small cupboard that apparently held the condiments.

Or was supposed to. Harvey _really _needed to go shopping. There was a small jar of salt, some mustard and - bizarrely - a pot of chocolate spread. Mike took the pot - on a normal day he would eat that for breakfast anyway. He rummaged in a drawer and found a wooden spoon - he would have preferred a normal one, but he couldn't reach them.

He sat on the floor eating the chocolate - alternating between the spoon and his finger, before suddenly getting a weird craving for milk. Milk would be amazing after the spread. He pulled on the fridge door for a few seconds before finally managing to pull it open. He scowled as he spied an almost empty carton on the top shelf. And that was about it.

Harvey _desperately _needed to go shopping.

Still, it meant that Mike had ledges to stand on to reach the milk. He wasn't surprised that Harvey's fridge could probably fit another 2 inside it. It just helped Mike shuffle onto the shelves comfortably while he reached for the carton of milk.

His genius plan backfired when he kicked out and rocked slightly to get a better grip and it caused the door to swing closed.

The light turned off, and Mike went quiet. Very quiet. He was sitting on a cold, damp shelf in the fridge and remembering all sorts of horror stories - he knew that kids had suffocated in those old, heavy ones - but surely he'd be fine? It must have air circulating or something, right? Or he could freeze to death...

With these thoughts in mind he opened his mouth and tried to yell as loudly as possible. But he wasn't sure how sound-proofed this fridge was.

* * *

><p>Harvey twitched in his doze. After Mike had left the bed it was slightly colder, and Harvey knew that at some stage he would have to admit that he needed to try and adapt to sleeping alone in a bed, without some kind of four-legged octopus wrapped into his stomach.<p>

Something was annoying him though. He wasn't sure what it was, but he just _knew _that it had something to do with Mike. He got up and wrapped his silk dressing gown around himself, realising how cold it was getting. Making a small note that he should probably get the kid some warmer clothes, he walked out into the main living area.

There was no one there - no sound was being made. The TV was off, the fridge was humming, one of his cupboard doors was swinging...

Because _that _was normal.

He went around the counters to find that a pot of chocolate spread - which he forgot he owned - and a licked wooden spoon were sat on the floor. Harvey couldn't help but smile at the completely _Mike _thing to do. He glanced around. The kid was clearly not in here. He checked in his office and saw that although the bed had been disturbed slightly, no one was there.

"Mike?" He said loudly in the silent flat. He glanced outside and wasn't sure whether to feel relief or not that Mike wasn't on the balcony - there was always the possibility he had gone over the side... Harvey hastily checked the door, breathing out deeply when he found that it was still safely locked.

A small dripping noise made him glance over towards the kitchen again. He frowned. Milk was dripping from out of the fridge - his fridge was sturdy, the only way that milk had been disturbed was if...

Oh God.

He yanked the door open, reeling back slightly as he saw Mike bunched up on one of the shelves, the fallen carton next to him. He was hugging his arms around himself and sobbing, not even noticing that Harvey had found him.

"Mike," he said softly so as not to startle the boy. "Hey - what are you doing?" Mike looked up and seemed to be at odds with himself. He was fidgeting and eventually Harvey just pulled him out and held him in what was definitely _not _a cuddle, thank you very much.

Except it kind of was.

"I - got - trapped!" Mike explained, trying to stop bawling. "I - was - just - trying - to - get - milk!"

Harvey ran his fingers through the tufty blonde hair and buried his face in it, breathing in. He closed his eyes. Mike was so cold.

"Next time you want something, come and ask me," Harvey told him. He didn't have the heart to be mad; not when Mike was so scared. "Are you okay?"

Mike nodded and snuffled, pulling away; which Harvey found extremely weird. He had been expecting Mike to lean in and nuzzle into his shoulder, snuffling and getting snot and slobber all over his expensive sleepwear. "Sorry," he murmured, chewing on his thumb. "I don't mean to get so clingy."

"Can't kid a kidder, Mike," Harvey said softly, trying to warm Mike up by pulling his dressing gown around them both. "You're always trying to get hugs - Donna loves it."

"Sorry," he said again. "But it's okay. I don't need a hug to feel better," he was trying to gain back some of his adultness; trying to start his affection detox.

Harvey knew exactly what he was doing. "That's fine," Harvey said nonchalantly. "But maybe _I _do," with that he pulled Mike into a slightly tighter embrace, happy to feel Mike curling inwards and greedily trying to get as much of Harvey's attention in that hug as he could.

He didn't seem to know he had pretty much 100% of Harvey's attention all the time.

* * *

><p>"I know that you didn't mean to, Mike," Harvey said loudly over the toddler's protests, "but you still knew what you were doing - I know that you were scared but you don't understand that <em>I <em>was scared," that seemed to shut Mike up. "You can't keep doing that to me, kid. So..." he pointed over to the footstool in the corner, an eyebrow raised. Mike pouted, his lip trembling. "Go on," Harvey said, not backing down even though he was in the full glare of the puppy-eyes.

Mike huffed but went and sat on the stool, glaring at Harvey.

"I don't want anymore sulking," Harvey informed him. "We're leaving for the firm in half an hour; I expect you to be presentable and with a smile on your face."

"Why?" Mike asked sourly, putting an extra large frown on his face in retaliation.

"Because I said so," Harvey told him. "Now shush. What have I said about talking in time-out?" He put a finger to his lips for a second before leaving to get dressed. Just as he was about to pull clothes out of his wardrobe, his phone rang. Rolling his eyes, he answered. "Hello?"

_"Harvey; what are you going to do about Mike today?"_

Harvey was caught completely off guard. He knew that Donna knew _lots_, but he was now slightly worried that she'd put cameras in his condo.

"It's fine, Donna - I gave him a time-out for it, and - "

_"I have no idea what you're talking about - what did you give him a time-out for?"_

"He crawled into the fridge and it shut."

Harvey pulled the phone away from his ear as loud expletives issued from it. "Donna, calm down. He's fine. What were you talking about?"

_"Well you've got your meeting with Mr Abercrombie today - I would think that you wouldn't want Mike with - "_

"Shit!" Harvey drowned her out. "I forgot about that... Shit, what am I going to do with him?"

_"Glad you've caught up,"_ she replied dryly. _"I might be able to take him for the day; I have a spare bed at home if you're not back before 7."_

"I'll be lucky to be back before 11, Donna, you know what Abercrombie's like," Harvey ran a hand down his face, breathing out. "I'll pack him an overnight bag and tell him later - he's already being pissy with me."

_"Good luck," _Donna said to him as a goodbye. Harvey threw his phone onto his bed and quickly got dressed. He had completely forgotten about his meeting with Alistair Abercrombie. The man owned quite a few of the best high rises in New York, and whenever he had meetings with him, Harvey always felt like he was going on a business trip. There had been times when he'd had to pack a bag because he stayed with Abercrombie all night. It was just his luck to have to go meet with him when he had a kid to look after.

And there was no way to reschedule either.

Harvey grimaced as he threw a spare pair of pyjamas, pull-ups, underwear and clothes into a backpack that he would give to Donna that morning. Glancing around, he pulled Mike's bear from his bed and put that in the bag as well. God, he really was turning soft.

Knowing that Donna would have food and drink, he then stuck the baby shampoo and soap in the bag, finally followed by their now rather well-worn copy of 'Goodnight Moon'. He knew that it would be hard for the kid to sleep if he himself wasn't there.

How did he know that? He couldn't just _know _that.

But somehow he did.

He closed the bag and walked into the main room, raising an eyebrow when he saw that Mike was crying whilst sitting on the stool. Harvey glanced at a clock to see when he would need to leave and gave a start - he'd left Mike on the stool for about 20 minutes.

"Mike," he said gently, going over.

"I said I was sorry!" He howled miserably. "You said _ten _minutes!"

"I know," Harvey whispered, gathering the crying boy in his arms, feeling despicable. "I just lost track of time; we need to go into the firm really soon so I was getting ready - think you can go get ready?" Mike sniffed and rubbed a hand under his nose before shrugging. "Not really in the mood for much today, huh?"

Mike shrugged again, refusing to pull his head away from where he was nuzzling it into the crook of Harvey's neck. Harvey sighed - if Mike was deciding to be clingy today, they would have a problem. "Come on, kid - you need to get dressed. We're going in ten minutes. Got it?"

Mike nodded but didn't move, causing Harvey to just walk into his room and grab some more clothes and hold them out to Mike. The toddler looked at them for a moment but took them, getting dressed. Harvey was forever checking his watch, fidgeting impatiently until Mike finally pulled on his last shoe.

Then like a whirlwind Harvey picked him and the bag up and shot out of the door, meeting Ray just as he pulled up outside.

* * *

><p>"Harvey, Abercombie's waiting," Donna said to him in a low voice as he entered the building. Harvey nodded and put Mike down. He passed Donna the bag he had been holding and turned to Mike, crouching so he could look him in the eyes.<p>

"Mike, I have a meeting with someone," he told the small boy, "so Donna's going to be looking after you, alright?"

Mike nodded. "When does it finish?"

Harvey closed his eyes for a second. "That's the thing - it doesn't finish until really late; I probably won't be back until tomorrow. So you'll be staying round Donna's tonight, alright?"

As he expected, Mike looked a mixture of angry, sad and lost. "Oh... okay," he tried to sound nonchalant, but couldn't stop his lip wobbling. "But... you'll come back for me, right?"

"No, I thought I'd leave you for Donna to put in the oven," Harvey said sarcastically. He didn't _do _comfort.

Ha. Yeah right. _That _had flown out of the window the moment he had seen the small boy.

"Harvey!" Mike swatted his arm and pouted, making Harvey grin slightly.

"I'll come back for you - I promise. Be good for Donna, alright? She _loves _time-outs," Mike's eyes widened and he chanced a glance at Donna, who rolled her eyes at Harvey. "I'm going," Harvey told him, standing up after giving his hair a quick ruffle. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Mike's lip wobbled some more and he nodded, throwing himself forward to hug Harvey's legs. He knew that Harvey had an important meeting - he had explained about it. But the kid in him couldn't help but suddenly wail: "Please don't go! I promise I won't do anything bad again! Just don't go! I'm sorry!"

Donna's eyes widened at the guilty look on Harvey's face, and the Senior Partner instantly crouched back down, giving Mike a small hug. "I'm not going because of you, kid," Harvey said softly. "You _know _that. I _have _to be at this meeting. Look, I'll call Donna tonight, alright?" He _needed _to go.

Mike swiped at tears that were coming down his face and nodded. He knew it wasn't because of him. But at the same time he didn't.

"Bye," he whispered, getting a small squeeze one last time before Harvey nodded at Donna and left quickly, in case Mike tried to latch onto him again.

Donna looked down at Mike's crestfallen expression. He had no doubt been semi-excited for spending another day in the office with Harvey - a bonus being that he didn't have to do any work - but now he just looked... lost.

"Hey, it's okay, Mike," Donna said soothingly to him. "I'm sure Harvey would much rather be here than in that meeting - every year it's the same deal, and every year he comes out growling and spitting. And don't worry - we'll have fun. By the end of the night you'll want to stay with me rather than go back to Harvey."

Mike gave her a small smile. He knew she was trying to make him feel better and was joking, but he seriously doubted it.

He already missed him.

* * *

><p>"Mike, sweetie - you want some juice?" Donna asked in a calm voice as Mike sat by her on a small chair. He was forever fidgeting but refused to go anywhere, and was just sat next to her, not talking. It worried her, as Mike usually never shut up. And now he was refusing to drink anything.<p>

"'M'not thirsty," he told her, looking down at his lap, his fingers bunching up the sleeves of his top. He felt like he had butterflies in his stomach - he felt nervous about something, but had no idea what.

"Mike - do you want me to call Harvey?" Donna asked him softly.

"He'll be busy," Mike murmured.

"He's never too busy for me," Donna told him firmly, picking up her phone. Mike watched her with round eyes as she fearlessly started to call him. "Harvey - what happened to not answering your phone with a client? I know, it's me. Listen, if you have a minute, I have somebody here who is refusing to eat or drink and is acting like someone's died. Will you talk to him?"

Mike blushed as Donna said that, but took the phone eagerly. "Hey, Harvey."

_"What's wrong, kid?"_

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Donna's just being... Donna. I'm sorry we interrupted your meeting."

_"Mike; it's been 3 hours, I'm glad to get a break. I'll see you tonight, maybe, okay? And for God's sakes, do what Donna tells you and eat something. Got it?"_

"Mmm..."

_"Mike..."_

"I got it."

_"Good boy. I'll see you later."_

"Bye, Harvey," Mike passed the phone back to Donna and sniffed. "Can I have some juice, please?"

Donna beamed.

* * *

><p>"Mike - you want to know a secret?" Donna asked him. He had only been one up from looking woe-begotten all afternoon, and at this point Donna was ready to tell him the passwords to all of her accounts. "In two days it's going to be a really important day."<p>

"It is?" Mike asked, frowning.

"Not many people know this, so keep it a secret," she whispered. "Okay?"

"Sure," Mike said quickly, eager to know what was happening.

"It's Harvey's birthday," she told him. If her calculations were right, Mike would still be small when it happened. That was probably a good thing (That scientist had impeccable timing) as if it was normal, Harvey would begrudgingly put up with her giving him a gift and possibly let normal Mike give him something, but because Mike was now small, he would no doubt indulge the boy. She was now excitedly planning parties in her head.

"Seriously?" Mike asked. "How come he didn't tell me? Were you planning on telling me at all?"

"No," Donna said simply. "Harvey never does anything on his birthday - hell, he's probably forgotten about it himself. So how about you and me clock out early and go shopping?"

"For presents?" Mike asked.

"Yep," she said. "And we can buy him a cake, and some decorations and we can plan a party - I'll get invitations..."

"Can I - " Mike interrupted, but shyly stopped talking. This wasn't lost on Donna, however.

"Can you what?"

"Can we make him a cake rather than buy one?" He asked quietly. "My grammy has a recipe she always used for my cakes, and I think it's at my apartment somewhere. It's okay if you don't want to," he quickly told her, "I don't have to."

"Mike that's a great idea," she told him warmly. She was quite worried about how this would all affect Harvey - God knows she could see right through his facade and she _knew _Harvey was _way _too attached to small Mike; this party might make him more hung about it than ever. She shrugged this off - she was going to make sure he had fun.

"Come on, sweetie," she said to him, turning her computer off and holding out her hand. "Let's go shopping."

* * *

><p>Donna was an organised woman. She had the patience of a saint and things mostly always went her way. However, even she was tested when it came to being out in busy shops with a three year old. She didn't know how Harvey had managed to keep him both alive and with him when they went to the zoo. Mike was constantly underfoot and twice now she had let go of him to inspect something and looked back to find that he had wandered off somewhere and had his attention taken by something else.<p>

"Michael Ross if you wander off again I swear you won't be able to sit down properly for another month!" Donna threatened him the next time she retrieved him.

He gazed up at her with wide eyes. "You wouldn't..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to test me?" She asked in a low voice. He quickly shook his head and grabbed hold of her hand tightly. "Now," she said in her normal voice, as if nothing had happened, "what kind of invitations do we want for this party?"

"Who are we inviting?" Mike asked, standing on the tips of his toes to see a few selections. "I didn't think Harvey had any friends."

"He's got plenty," Donna said, studying an envelope. "Just because he doesn't tell you about them doesn't mean they don't exist - I have his address book anyway. I think these white ones will do."

"It's really short notice," Mike observed. "What if they don't come?"

"Oh they'll turn up," Donna assured him. "It's Harvey. Now for decoration."

"Balloons?" Mike suggested, tugging at her hand in the direction of some loud pops and colours.

"Harvey hates balloons," Donna informed him, steering him away from them and over to some tasteful banners. "I think we should just get some banners to hang up - any preferences?"

Mike gazed around at the banners, his lips pursed. "Can we make our own?"

Donna was about to say no. Harvey's friends were all colleagues and were all like him - they loved expensive, tasteful things. Hand-made banners may be fine for a child's birthday party, but not Harvey's. But then she saw Mike's face. How could anyone say no to that?

"We can make one," she decided.

"I just thought, you know - moneywise it would be - "

"Don't worry about any of that, Mike," she told him. "Just go wild."

Maybe she shouldn't have said that.

They ended up with a basket full of decorations. From bunting, to large flags, to party poppers and streamers - Harvey would kill them if they made any mess in the condo. Donna didn't really care at that moment in time. Mike was excitedly talking about where they would hang everything, and how it would be a really good surprise and how much Harvey would love it...

Apart from herself and Jessica, Donna had never heard anyone sound as though they had Harvey's best interests at heart. Mike wanted to make him happy, and Donna was only too willing to help him.

"How are we going to keep him away long enough to put everything up and for everyone to come round?" Mike asked as they walked down the street, towards a large department store which housed both potential presents and expensive wines and food.

"I'll suggest he takes you to the park or something," Donna said as they walked through large, revolving doors. "And then you just make up an excuse to come back say... an hour later?"

"I can do that," Mike nodded, instantly coming up with hundreds of scenarios. Although Harvey had told him not to cry wolf again, so he couldn't say he wasn't feeling well... Or could he?

"Mike, I'll come back later and do the food shopping," Donna told him as they were examining rows of mini quiches and some odd salad stuff that Mike knew he would never touch. "We need to find a good present."

Mike frowned. If it was normal circumstances - although he wouldn't have known about Harvey's birthday - he would have probably bought him some kind of expensive, hard drink like scotch that would make his month's salary gone in an instant. What do you give a man who can buy whatever he wants?

"Do they sell photo frames?" Mike asked softly.

Donna looked at him curiously but nodded. "Why?" She asked as they walked over to them.

Mike didn't answer.

* * *

><p>Donna was curious as to why Mike insisted on buying a photo frame, but he didn't tell her, no matter how much she prodded, threatened and tried to blackmail. Eventually, Donna decided they should just go back to her flat with their purchases. It was nearing 6pm and her feet were hurting - and Mike wasn't looking very happy.<p>

How had she missed his naptime?

"Why don't you sleep for a bit," she said; pretending it was a request when in actuality it was an order.

Mike shook his head. He didn't like sleeping without Harvey there.

"Don't be difficult, Mike," Donna said with a warning tone. Mike pouted and wrapped his arms around himself as he sat on the couch. He was tired and knew he was cranky - however much he hated that word - and he just wanted Harvey.

"Do you really want to risk getting a time-out?" She asked, her hands placed on her hips as she looked at him.

He looked down at his lap. He didn't want a time-out; of course he didn't - but what would happen afterwards? Harvey had a unique way of making him feel both comforted and remorseful afterwards - what could Donna do?

"When does Harvey come back?" He meant for it to sound like a curious, casual question but instead found that his voice slipped and became quieter, a slight hitch in his breath as he tailed off, sounding as though he was about to cry.

"Oh, sweetie," Donna gently lifted him and pulled him into a hug, running her fingers through his hair. "He probably won't be back until tomorrow; but it's fine, okay? Don't worry - you're going to have a nap, then afterwards we'll watch a movie, I'll order in pizza and then before you know it, it'll be tomorrow and Harvey will be back. Alright?"

Mike nodded, hiding his face from her as she settled him on the couch and pulled a comforter over him. He didn't want her to see his tears. He rolled onto his side to face the back of the couch as she walked away quietly, presumably to put their shopping away and also plan for Harvey's party. That thought excited him, but then he once again remembered that Harvey wasn't there, and his eyes dulled.

He pulled himself into a small ball, curled up in the fetal position and started to suck his thumb. It comforted him and he focussed on the rhythm in an attempt to block out any more thoughts of abandonment.

Because that's what it felt like. He felt like Harvey had just passed him off to Donna and left, never to return. He _knew _that Harvey was coming back, but he still couldn't help the shudder of fear that rose inside him and the well of tears that sprung to his eyes. He bit down on his thumb, wincing as could taste a slight coppery tint.

"Donna," he said quietly, his voice wavering. Donna was by his side in an instant, her hand placed on his side.

"Yes, Mike?"

"Can we - " he paused to sniff, " - can we call Harvey? Please?"

Without her hand leaving his side, Donna pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed a number on her speed dial. After a few moments, she started to rub at his side soothingly. "I'm sorry, Mike," she said quietly. "He's not picking up. Are you okay?"

Mike gave a small sob - so small he doubted Donna heard it. He nodded in answer to her question and hugged the comforter close to his chest. Her hand left him for a minute before returning, placing something furry in his arms. "Here you go, sweetie," Donna whispered, running her fingers through his hair again. "I know it's not as good as the real thing, but I have _a _Harvey here."

Mike closed his arms around the bear that Harvey must have packed and buried his face in it. "Go to sleep, Mike," Donna whispered. "I'll be right here."

Mike managed to fall into a very light sleep, and was woken at around 7 as Donna called for pizza. He sat up, not relinquishing his tight hold of Harvey-bear. "Hey, sweetie," Donna said in a soft voice. "You want a drink?"

Mike nodded and rolled his eyes as she passed him a juice box. Both her and Havey must stockpile them somewhere, as they were always pulling them out at just the right moment, seemingly from nowhere. "You want to watch a film?"

"Sure," Mike said, eager to get his mind off Harvey once more.

"No horrors," she warned him.

"What?" Mike gaped. "Come on, Donna - _I'm_ still in here!" He hoped she didn't see how tightly he was squeezing the bear.

She hummed in response, scribbling something down on her plans for their surprise party. "That would be fine - if I wasn't informed of an incident at some stage of you getting a nightmare in the office after watching 'Shaun of the Dead'."

"Harvey said he wouldn't tell anyone," Mike muttered. That had been bad. It was a really vivid nightmare as well, and he was sweating as he came out of it.

"If you get nightmares after watching a funny horror, you're not watching a normal one," Donna said firmly. "Go choose a different one."

"Fine," Mike huffed. "But if you make me choose a Disney film, I will refuse to watch." He walked over to Donna's DVD collection, a smile appearing on his face as he read the titles of some of the movies. She had good taste in films, he would admit that. He was torn between two films and finally chose, going back to Donna and pushing the DVD onto the table in front of her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Terminator?"

"What?" Mike said defensively. "I love this film! And I swear it won't scare me or anything - seriously, I'll be fine. Please can we watch it?"

"Fine," she relented. "But if you get nightmares - "

"I won't," he promised quickly. "Please?"

She rolled her eyes but stood up to place the DVD in. "If I find you covering your eyes at any point..." She warned him.

"Donna," he laughed. "It's Terminator. I'll be fine."

* * *

><p>To Donna's surprise, Mike <em>was <em>fine. She had expected him to maybe jump at some bits, or hide his face, but he was fine. She had assumed that because of how he was acting without Harvey, he would have slipped more into the childish emotions he was displaying. In fact, he was acting like old Mike, just sat there being geeky and laughing with her.

She realised as soon as the film was finished that she needed to give him a bath. Harvey had packed the shampoo for a reason and she wanted to get Mike really sleepy before putting him to bed - and a bath would work wonders.

"Mike," she said a soft voice. "I'm going to run you a bath, and then you're going to bed, okay?"

Mike frowned. "I don't like baths," he whimpered. "And I'm not tired! Please, Donna, it's too early!"

"Mike, it's 9 o clock, you're up way too late as it is - Harvey would kill me if he found out," Donna said to him. "Come on - bathroom, now."

Mike pouted but followed her, shedding clothes along the way. He had long since stopped feeling embarrassed around her and Harvey when it came to baths. He grabbed a warm towel that was sat on a radiator and pulled it around himself, snuggling into it as he waited for the bath to fill up. He tried to imagine the towel as being Harvey's arms - he would usually sit with Mike on his lap as he filled the tub, chatting quietly or gently rocking him if he was falling asleep or upset. He usually got upset before baths.

He wondered if Donna knew this.

She was still acting like a super-mom, he decided, as she carefully placed him in the bath and gently started to wash him. He took the cloth she was using and washed himself - however much he didn't mind that she was seeing him in the bath, there were some things he needed to wash on his own - passing it up to her when he was done.

"Finished," he said, hoping to get out of the tub quickly.

"Not so fast," Donna tutted, taking out the bottle of shampoo. "Come here, I need to wash your hair."

"Donna, I don't like my hair being washed," he whined quietly. He didn't want to tell her this, but he thought it imperative that she knew it.

"Harvey's told me," she said softly. "It's fine - I won't let it drip in your eyes."

Mike knew she wouldn't, but he also knew that wasn't the problem. Although he didn't want it in his eyes, he also knew that Harvey was extremely careful and never let it fall down his face. He didn't know what it was about getting his hair washed that he didn't like - he just knew that somehow, Harvey understood. He just didn't think Donna did.

She _was _being gentle - folding her hands and fingers in places to cup the water as she rinsed and being almost massage-like when lathering the shampoo through his hair, but didn't try and offer any sympathy as Harvey did whenever he winced. He could feel tears building in his eyes as he thought of the constant, soothing mantra of, "It's okay, I know... I know..."

He _really_ wanted Harvey.

He held a face cloth to his eyes like always as the shampoo was rinsed out and was finally pulled out of the bath and wrapped in a towel. Thankfully, any moisture on his face that was from crying could easily be put aside as water from the bath.

Donna brought in a bag of clothes that Harvey had no doubt packed for him. "Get dressed," she said. "When you're done I've got a guest bed I've set up for you."

He smiled at her as she left. He didn't want to seem ungrateful, but there was something inside him that was screaming for him to just act out; throw things, scream, cry - do _something _to show his frustration at the fact that Harvey _wasn't there_.

Harvey was never not there.

He was _always _there.

He scowled as he put the pull-up on, quickly covering it with the pyjamas, and went out to find Donna stood there with a book in her hand. "I thought you might want to read before sleeping?" She asked, holding out her hand. Mike eagerly placed his hand in hers and followed her, climbing onto the bed (_that wasn't Harvey's_) and pulling the cover up, looking at her expectantly.

She showed him the cover of 'Goodnight Moon' with a smile, assuming that he'd enjoy it because she knew he always read it with Harvey.

That was the thing though.

He read it with _Harvey._

It wasn't that he loved the story - it was the way Harvey read. And that he could sit on his lap and read along, and always felt some comfortable at the same time. Comfortable and safe.

However, he gave a nod to Donna to start reading and listened as she read it. He hoped it would have the same effect it usually did and make him fall asleep.

It didn't.

Instead he was frowning, listening as Donna read - even though when Harvey first read it, it was obvious he had never read a bedtime story before, somehow it sounded _right_. With Donna, it was like she was trying too hard. Trying to dramatise it and make it more interesting for herself.

He missed the way Harvey's voice would deepen and go lower at the end of the book, tailing off as he knew that Mike was almost asleep. Donna read in her dramatic way until the end, and Mike was no closer to falling asleep, regardless of the time of night.

"Are you alright, Mike?" Donna was looking at him with a frown, as he had been staring off into the distance with a slightly unhappy look on his face.

"Yeah, just tired," he lied, giving her a small smile as she kissed him on his forehead.

"Sleep well," she said to him quietly. "I'll be in the living room if you need anything, okay?" Mike nodded and settled down on the bed, snuggling into the pillow before realising he had left Harvey-bear in the main room.

"Donna!" The wail brought Donna back in after 2 seconds of her absence. "I left my bear outside."

She smiled at him and went out to retrieve it, passing it to him. "Anything else?" He shook his head and smiled.

"Thanks, Donna."

"You're welcome, Sweetie. Go to sleep."

He nodded and pulled Harvey-bear closer to him, sticking his thumb in his mouth. Donna had bought a night light and it was now on, radiating a warm glow in one corner of the room. He liked it; his childish mind had often found the dark disconcerting, but he was usually with Harvey so it didn't matter.

He gazed at the light for a while before rolling to stare at the ceiling. After a while, he thought he could see things in the shadows from the night light. A hint of claws, teeth... eyes? He could swear there was something flapping by the curtain...

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, clutching his bear extra tight. There was nothing there. He knew this. Harvey had explained to him. Harvey had investigated under his bed and proved that there was nothing there.

So why was he so scared that there was?

He didn't want to call Donna in to look - it was bad enough that Harvey knew he was scared of possible monsters under his bed. And he didn't want to try and fall asleep. He didn't think he _could _fall asleep.

Instead he just pulled the covers under his chin and scrabbled up in bed, sitting with his back on the wall next to his pillow, clutching Harvey-bear.

* * *

><p>Donna heard a knock on her door at about 10 o clock. Wondering who the hell it would be, she looked through the spy hole and smiled happily before stepping back and opening the door. "Harvey!" She greeted. "How was the meeting? It must have been good," she observed. "You're smiling and you're early. Very early."<p>

"I closed it," he said simply. "And I thought I'd come over to display my godliness."

She gave him a fond smile. "Sure you did," she smirked. "Mike's fine, by the way. Stop worrying."

"I wasn't worrying," he denied hotly.

"Of course not," she smiled. "It's not as if you saw you had a missed call from me and got really panicked and left early."

"I closed it early," he insisted, before pausing. "Why did you try and call me?"

"Mike wanted to talk to you," she told him.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He's been weird today, though," she suddenly said. "He wouldn't really talk, and he got cranky when I told him to nap. He was almost crying over it."

Harvey frowned. Mike usually went to nap quite happily. "How was he when it came to going to bed?"

"He did _not _want a bath," she whistled. "I thought you were over-exaggerating. He was practically sobbing as I washed his hair."

"I told you he doesn't like it," Harvey said. He wanted to ask if she'd tried to reassure him, if she'd comforted him before or afterwards. But he couldn't ask that without coming off as extremely mother hen-like.

"He went to bed without hassle though," Donna told him. "I read him his story and he went to bed. I'm assuming he's asleep - I haven't heard anything so I haven't checked on him yet."

"I'll go," Harvey said. He ignored her smirk and left to check on his associate.

* * *

><p>"Mike?"<p>

Mike looked around, craning his neck in the darkness. He had been sitting in the same position for who knew how long and was starting to ache, but he was too scared to lie down and try to sleep. "Harvey?" He questioned quietly. It must be a monster tricking him - Harvey wouldn't be back until tomorrow.

"Why aren't you asleep?" The voice _sounded _like Harvey - it even sounded mildly disapproving. He came and sat down on the bed and placed a hand on Mike's shoulder.

"Are you... why are you back already?" Mike asked.

"The meeting finished early," Harvey said. "Having fun with Donna?"

Mike just flung himself at Harvey, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face in his shoulder. He breathed in deeply, smelling Harvey's unique smell of expensive suits, leather and shampoo.

"Is that a 'no'?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Missed you," Mike whispered shyly, feeling some tears leak out.

"I was only gone for the day, kid," Harvey said quietly, but pulled Mike onto his lap to rest properly, running his hands through the newly washed hair. "Is that why you weren't sleeping? Missing me?"

"Mhmm," Mike mumbled. "And... there's - there's something here..."

"Oh..." Harvey murmured. "Didn't Donna check for monsters?" Mike shook his head shyly on Harvey's shoulder.

"Wanna go home," he whimpered, refusing to lift his head off Harvey.

"Okay, kid, we'll go," Harvey told him, giving him a rub on the back. "Got your bear?" Mike grabbed it and let it dangle over Harvey's shoulder from his hand.

Harvey walked out of the room and Donna stared. "Did you wake him up? Or did you just come here to kidnap him?"

"He wasn't asleep - you forgot to do something before he went to bed," Harvey told her, giving her a small smile.

"Oh?"

"You didn't check for monsters under his bed."

Donna stared at him. "Harvey Specter. You softie."

He grimaced. "I'll just take Mike home - it'll be easier than leaving him here with the monsters," he grinned at her as she glared at him. "Thanks for looking after him. Mike?"

"Thanks, Donna - I had fun," Mike mumbled, looking more asleep and content than Donna had seen him at any point throughout the night.

"I'm glad, sweetie - I'll see you two tomorrow."

Mike nodded slightly and tightened his hold around Harvey, who ignored Donna's all out beam as he ran his hand down Mike's back in a comforting gesture.

"Seriously, Donna - thanks," Harvey said to her.

"Hey it was the least I could do - it was better than having you being distracted in that meeting by worrying all day," she winked at him.

"Yeah," Harvey replied, not letting her know that he hadn't stopped worrying at all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN I think this one is actually longer than the last one! Holy word count, Batman! O.O So uh... yeah - there's a lot in that chapter and it goes all over the place, which means you really need to write a lot in your reviews ;) I hope you're looking forward to the wonderful surprise party chapter which will hopefully be good :) And I'm sorry if there are any mistakes - I'm tired so I may have missed some :S**

**But please review, I really want to know what you thought :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N You guys know I love you, right? Thanks for all the reviews - and the begging for it to never end XD We shall see ;) Sorry for lateness by the way - I was suddenly attacked by a mound of work D: And I apologise for any Britishisms; I used to think it wouldn't mind if I slipped up if it wasn't dialogue but I recently read quite a few Harry Potter fics that had loads of American words and I was just like, "They're British! They wouldn't say that at all!" So I deeply apologise :)**

**Also, thanks again to my lovely e-spouse _Signofthetimes _for help with the child mind ;)**

* * *

><p>When Harvey had gotten back to his condo, Mike had fallen asleep. Loathe to wake him, Harvey lifted him carefully and placed him on the spare bed. He knew that Mike was sleeping deeply, and wouldn't be waking up at any point to notice he was once again in a room on his own. Although he hopefully knew by now that there were no monsters under the bed. Harvey did, however, leave the door open wider than he usually would, and flicked the main room light on. He could never sleep with it on, as the light would creep into his room via the gap under his door and make it impossible for him to sleep, but as long as it made Mike feel comfortable, he didn't mind.<p>

Feeling exhausted, Harvey tucked Mike in, ran a hand through his hair softly, and retired to his own room. He was asleep in minutes.

* * *

><p>A loud crash woke Mike up. He leapt forward, giving a small squeak and clutched onto Harvey the sea-lion. Completely disorientated, he started to panic, before realising he was in Harvey's office-turned-guest bedroom. He blew out a breath, wondering what the crash had been, before a slow, steady rumble followed it, and Mike could hear the loud pattering of rain on the windows.<p>

His adult mind registered 'storm' whilst his toddler mind registered 'loud noises are scary'. He buried his face in the sea-lion as a flash of lightning appeared through the windows. Trying to steady his nerves, he rationalised it.

"It's just a small thunderstorm," he muttered to himself. "It can't actually hurt me - it's just loud and annoying."

Another flash and sudddenly the room - once lit up softly by a glow from the light outside the room - was plunged into darkness. Mike gave another small squeak. Anything could be lurking in the dark corners of the room.

He jumped out of the bed and ran to the main room, screeching to a halt as he found Harvey's door was closed. The rumble of thunder came faster than the previous one, which told him that the storm was getting much closer. It would soon be right over them and he was already breathing quickly and could feel wet patches appearing on his cheeks from tears. A glance outside told him that a power grid must have gone down, as there were many buildings without light. He knew it was late, but he also knew just how many of the buildings he could see were businesses.

And he knew from experience that the lights never get turned off, even late at night.

As the rain increased in pressure and speed, Mike pushed the time-out stool under the door handle and climbed onto it so he could reach and open the door. It glided open smoothly and he could just make out the shape of Harvey, sleeping peacefully in the bed. He fidgeted awkwardly. This would be just another embarrassing thing to admit to Harvey - not only was he afraid of monsters, the dark and heights, he was suddenly petrified of a thunderstorm.

He used to like them. He and Gram had often sat in a window, watching as the lightning struck down with terrifying, powerful force. He loved counting between the flashes and the rumbles of thunder to gauge how far away it was. He like watched the rain bounce onto neighbouring rooftops.

But right now, all he could think was that it was a loud noise that frightened him, and that the flashes of lightning might reach him inside the condo.

But not if he was with Harvey.

Just as another flash emerged from the sky, Mike made the executive decision of giving a startled cry and climbing onto the bed, pulling the covers over Harvey slightly as he crawled onto the older man's side of the bed. He practically climbed over Harvey, waking him up as he then made a 180 degree spin on his hands and knees and burrowed under the duvet, planting himself firmly half on Harvey.

"Mike?" Harvey said blearily, pushing himself up into a sitting position, rubbing at his eyes for a second before realising they were in complete darkness. He moved to flick on his bedside lamp and found that it wouldn't turn on.

"We had a power cut, huh?" Harvey pulled the clingy boy onto his lap, realising he had tear tracks down his face and fresh ones were about to appear. "Hey, calm down - it's just dark; you should be sleeping anyway."

Mike was about to say something but stopped as another flash illuminated the room for a second. He gave a whimper and buried his face in Harvey's stomach. Harvey suddenly registered the storm and could almost feel the lightbulb above his head come on.

"You never told me you were scared of storms," he said gently.

"I'm _not_," Mike said firmly. "At least, I wasn't... But now I am, and I - did you hear that?" A low rumble of thunder echoed outside.

"I heard it," Harvey answered, finding himself rubbing on Mike's back soothingly as he felt him shaking. "You want to sleep in here?"

"Can't sleep," Mike told him fearfully, his eyes wide and tearful. "There's too much - " another flash lit up the room and he squeaked and buried his head in Harvey's chest. The sound of thunder followed immediately after. "It's right above us," Mike whispered. Harvey could feel his chest getting damp and realised that the small boy was so scared he was sobbing.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly. "It's just loud noise. It's fine. Here," he tried to get out of the bed, struck with a sudden idea. "I'll be right back," he soothed, as Mike clung to him desperately. He sighed and just picked the toddler up and took him into the main room to pick up the bag he had taken to Donna's. Reaching into it, Harvey pulled out 'Goodnight Moon' and then rummaged in some drawers before finding a torch and some candles.

He went back to his room, depositing the book and Mike on the bed while he went around the room, lighting some candles and placing them in the darkest corners. Soon, there was a warm glow filling the room. This didn't seem to distract Mike from the storm outside however, and he was nervously flicking his eyes towards Harvey until the man got back in the bed, only to have Mike throw himself at him.

"It's okay, kid," Harvey shushed him. "Here - hold the torch for me."

Mike took it and flicked it on quickly, pointing it at the book that lay on Harvey's lap. The small boy then took it in his hands and shuffled over to sit in his lap instead. "Ready?" Harvey asked. Getting a small squeak as confirmation Harvey opened the book and tried to speak loudly - louder than the storm outside. His soothing tone seemed to be working, but just as Mike had relaxed and was possibly on the verge of sleep, a dizzying flash of lightning struck down right outside the window, and the thunder was close to deafening.

The next thing Harvey knew, he had an empty lap and the torch had fallen on the floor; with Mike nowhere to be seen. "Mike?"

Harvey swore and got out of the bed, hoping nothing had been damaged by the lightning. "Come on, Mike - it's just a storm!" He yelled into the now seemingly Mike-free apartment. Trying to listen over the rain and thunder, he managed to detect the sound of crying. It seemed to be coming from by the couch, and when Harvey got there, he found that Mike had simply crawled under it.

"Come here," Harvey said softly, holding out his arms as he crouched down beside it. Mike had his hands over his ears and was refusing to even look in Harvey's direction. Sighing, Harvey simply reached under and pulled Mike out, bundling him into his arms.

"Don't like it," Mike whispered into Harvey's stomach, clutching at the older man.

"I know," Harvey responded, standing up slowly. "Come on - my laptop is charged; we can watch a movie." He took Mike back to the guest bedroom and opened the laptop, picking it up and sitting on Mike's bed and putting it on the chair so that it rested comfortably enough for them both to see from their positions on the bed. Harvey looked through his movies and frowned; there weren't really many that would be suitable for a three year old.

"That one," came a small voice from his lap. Harvey looked down and saw that Mike was pointing to Casablanca.

"Really?" Harvey raised an eyebrow.

"It's a classic!" Mike weakly defended, rubbing at his eyes, making Harvey frown. The kid needed sleep. Hopefully the storm was leaving their vicinity and Mike would fall asleep - he didn't think he could cope with a cranky toddler again.

"Okay," he conceded, slotting it into the dvd tray of his laptop. It soon started, and Harvey raised the volume to its loudest. He felt Mike clutching at his hands which he had wrapped around the little boy's waist to keep him more secure on his lap and also to prevent him from running away again.

Suddenly, the lights flickered back on, and Harvey felt Mike relax and let out a small sigh. Harvey jogged him on his lap slightly to indicate he knew what the toddler was thinking, causing Mike to look up at him and give a small smile.

With the lights on, Mike was much less afraid of the storm outside. It had moved away, but there was still every so often a rumble of thunder and the rain was still fiercely pelting at the windows. Harvey just slowly bounced him up and down on his knee, focussing on the film and hoping that Mike would do the same.

"Harvey?"

Harvey looked down, already tense. Mike's voice was soft, but not the 'I'm about to fall asleep' soft. This was the 'we really need to discuss something' soft. "Yeah?" He answered.

"There's... I - I'm sorry," Mike looked at his lap, ignoring both the storm and Humphrey Bogart being threatened by Ingrid Bergamn.

"What for?"

"I... I'm really... child-like," he ground this out, as if it was actually painful to admit.

Harvey raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... I know. Hence the fact that I have you on my lap right now."

"Well, obviously I'm child-like _physically_," Mike ploughed on. "But I mean - I'm sorry that I'm so... emotional and cranky and whiny and clingy and - "

"Mike, Mike - stop," Harvey said, holding Mike by the armpits so he could turn him in his lap to face upwards. "What the hell? You've been fine this past week and a half. Why now suddenly realise that you're a child?"

"Because I should be able to stop myself acting like one!" Mike cried out suddenly. "I'm a grown man, regardless of how I look right now, and everyone just keeps forgetting and treating me like a kid, and I know for the most part I just accept it and maybe even act like one sometimes but I want you to treat me how you normally treat me!" Mike's breathing was slightly ragged and he swiped at his eyes once more, his tell-tale sign that he was past tired.

However, Harvey was tired too.

"And how exactly would that go, Mike?" Harvey ranted. "'Here, Mike; I know you can't even bathe yourself but do these briefs for me, and then get ready for court this evening'?"

"I just want to get back to normal!" Mike shouted at him. "I want to be able to do things for myself, and not have to stay here all the time..." He stopped, realising exactly what he'd said. His lip wobbled. "Harvey, I - "

"It's fine, Mike," Harvey said in a not-quite-cold-but-still-definitely-chilly voice. He was tired and didn't think he was deserving of having Mike throw all this crap at him. He placed Mike on the bed and got up, leaving his laptop on but leaving the room.

"Where are you going?" Mike asked.

"To bed," Harvey replied. "I'm assuming you don't need me to put you to bed? You're a grown man, after all." With one last, scathing look, Harvey left. In his anger, he even closed the door, rather than leaving it open like he had on previous nights. He got back into his own bed and found himself grumbling. Stubborn, selfish, ungrateful kid.

He could at least acknowledge that it hadn't been easy for Harvey either! He didn't exactly have any experience in looking after kids - and despite what Mike had bitched about he was very much a small child right now.

A small child scared of the storm and the dark.

An exhausted child.

Dammit.

He heaved himself back out of bed and walked to his office. "Mike - " he began, sighing as he saw that Mike was curled up on the bed - his eyes closed but wet. He had cried himself to sleep. Harvey closed his laptop and put it back on the desk, moving the chair back. He then carefully picked Mike up and moved him to put him under the quilt. He smoothed back Mike's hair and gave a sad smile as the small boy started to suck his thumb. "Yeah... grown man. Sure," Harvey snorted.

He ruffled Mike's hair one last time before leaving the room; this time leaving the door open and the light on.

* * *

><p>When Mike awoke on the morning, he rubbed at his eyes, feeling grit that had built up overnight, made worse by the tears he had shed. He frowned and snuggled deeper down into the covers as he remembered his outburst last night. Harvey had left him in his room, closing the door... which was now open. He was also sure that he had fallen asleep on top of the covers, and was now under them.<p>

Harvey must have come back into the room.

Mike blushed as he remembered all that he had said. Whilst most of it was true, he couldn't believe that he had told Harvey all of it. He was going to be normal soon, and hadn't wanted to burden Harvey with knowing all of his frustrations regarding his situation.

Hoping that the older man wouldn't be too angry, Mike crawled out of the bed and slowly tiptoed out of his room, heading towards Harvey's room. He was stopped halfway there by an arm reaching around his waist and picking him up.

"Where are you going?" Harvey asked him. He had been standing next to his fridge just as Mike seemed to creep out of his room.

"Uh..." he looked around and saw food sitting ready on the breakfast table. "To the table?"

"Nice to know you didn't lose all of your sense after that storm," Harvey said as he placed Mike on the chair and turned to grab a drink from the counter. "You okay?" He asked, still facing away.

There was silence for a moment, before: "Uh... yeah. I don't know what happened last night, I just... I guess I freaked out a bit."

Harvey snorted. "That's putting it mildly," he said. He was about to turn back round before Mike spoke again.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to snap at you last night. It was just... I just..."

Wanting to spare Mike the struggle, Harvey turned back round. "Forget about it," he said, shrugging it off. "You were tired and upset. Just forget about it. Now hurry up and eat - I need to go shopping," he frowned when he saw Mike's eyes widen significantly. "What?"

"You do your own shopping?"

Harvey raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"No, I just... I thought you might hire someone to do it."

"I'm not that pompous," Harvey told him, sipping his coffee as he watched Mike inhale some Lucky Charms. "Take it slow - that's the last ounce of food I have until I go shopping."

"Oh... you, uh - am I staying here?" Mike asked, hoping the disappointment wasn't easy to hear in his voice.

Harvey paused. He couldn't exactly say that even now he knew much about children, but he just instinctively knew that taking a 3 year old in a supermarket would be a bad idea. But he didn't really want to leave the kid alone again. Well, he had been with Donna, but apparently hadn't liked it.

"Until _we _go shopping," Harvey rephrased, turning back to the counter again so Mike didn't see his smile.

* * *

><p>He was really starting to regret caving and bringing Mike with him. Why hadn't he called Donna? He would have given her a raise - he would have let her parents stay in his condo another week; hell, he would have let <em>Louis <em>stay in his condo if it meant he could have left Mike somewhere else.

He _knew _taking a three year old shopping was a bad idea.

It seemed that every time he turned his head to look for something on a shelf, Mike had found something much more interesting to look at/play with/destroy. Harvey had just reached towards a box of cereal on a high shelf and heard the sound of _something _being poured onto the floor. He closed his eyes before turning slowly, seeing Mike edging away from a box that had fallen to the floor, its contents pooling around it.

"I didn't do it!" Mike squeaked as he saw the glare that Harvey was directing at him.

"Oh really? Someone just happened to run down this empty aisle and knock a box over, is that it?" Harvey asked sarcastically, righting the box and sweeping the food into a pile with his foot.

"Uh..."

"Get in the cart, Mike," Harvey said, not exactly giving him much choice in the matter; picking him up by the armpits and sitting him down on the seat reserved for annoying small children.

"Harvey!" Mike whined, drumming his feet against the cart in anger.

"Do _not _start a tantrum, Mike," Harvey growled as he walked down the aisle, pausing to check out the many different kinds of juice on offer - this was why he only shopped for himself. He knew what he wanted.

"But I don't like being in the cart!" Mike wailed dismally.

"And I don't like cranky children," Harvey responded; knowing Mike _hated _that phrase. As he expected, he was given a death glare from the squirming child and issued punishment in the form of veering the shopping cart all over the aisle, hoping to shut him up.

To his surprise, he got a giggle in response. Mike was smiling slightly, gripping to the handle of the cart so his hands were resting in between Harvey's. Harvey raised an eyebrow and glanced down the empty aisles. It was 1pm on a weekday so it was hardly crowded. And if it stopped Mike whining or dwelling on the fact that he was in a cart...

No - he was Harvey Specter. He didn't run with shopping carts in supermarkets; even if it did light up the toddler's face with a huge grin...

Mike would later refuse to acknowledge it had happened, but when Harvey suddenly decided to push faster after the initial time, swerving slightly and around corners, he had let out an excited squeal of laughter. He quickly dissolved into giggles, sometimes able to choke out, "Faster!" and gripping onto Harvey's hands with his own. He couldn't believe this was happening... Harvey was _not _the type to _run _with a cart - he was always very composed and he was an_ adult_. Obviously Mike was too - usually - but he could imagine himself running with a cart. Harvey was dignified and older, he wouldn't -

Harvey was older.

It was his birthday tomorrow.

Mike somehow needed to get in touch with Donna. She had all the party things and they needed to plan what they would do to get Harvey out of his condo long enough for her to set up and invite everyone round. And he still hadn't made the present. He had stashed the photo frame underneath a bookshelf - he had originally put it under the bed, before realising he still needed Harvey to look under there in case of monsters. He just needed a time to put the picture in it.

"You're awfully quiet," Harvey said, looking as though he had been meandering all this time and definitely _not _been running.

Mike looked up. "Huh? Oh... I'm just thinking."

"Careful."

"Ha, there's that famous Specter Wit," Mike glared at him, realising his hands were still on top of Harvey's and quickly took them off. "Are we done?"

"Nearly; I just need to get something for lunch."

"Can we go out for lunch?" Mike asked, his beam wide. "Please?"

"Mike, it's nearly a disaster area taking you into a supermarket! You really think I would want to take you to a restaurant?" Harvey asked.

"I'll be good!" He promised, using his puppy-eyes. "Please?"

He could see Harvey caving.

"Fine," he relented gruffly. "But _I _choose where we go. I am not going to a place that has colouring books on the backs of the menus."

"As long as I don't have to sit in a high-chair, I don't care where we go," Mike grinned.

* * *

><p>They ended up in a restaurant that Mike could see himself going to if he wanted to treat himself after his pay went in. Because it was a school day there weren't any children, and most people in there were either couples, groups of friends or colleagues or people having business meetings. Many of them shot Harvey a wary look as he walked in with a toddler but he just ignored them. He understood - if it was the other way round he would have done the same.<p>

He couldn't exactly explain to them that the toddler would probably beat them in an IQ test and then rock the LSAT afterwards, so he just ignored them, taking a seat and declining the offer of a high chair - for which Mike was incredibly grateful.

He was still given some crayons and on flipping the children's menu over, found that there was indeed something to colour, but it was more like puzzles and colouring than the patronising things he usually saw on these menus.

His stomach growled hungrily and he looked up at Harvey pleadingly. "Believe it or not, we did actually come here to_ eat_," Harvey drawled. "Just be patient, we'll order when we're ready. What do you want?"

Mike turned the menu over again, skimming through his choices. It was an Italian place, and there were small bowls of spaghetti or different pasta, mini pizzas, burgers, hot dogs...

"I don't like any of it," he mumbled. He knew that wasn't true - this was his dream menu; he would only have trouble deciding which one to get - but for some reason, looking at all the choices he didn't like the sound of anything. "Can I have dessert?"

"Mike," Harvey said in a low, menacing voice. "Don't you dare."

"I can't help it!" He replied. "I just... I don't want any of it - what are you having?"

"I haven't decided," Harvey told him, through gritted teeth. "Focus on what you're having."

Mike frowned and looked through the menu again. He supposed he could have the pasta... although the burger was more appetizing... maybe the pizza... What happened to not liking the sound of anything? He chewed on his fingers as he thought, feeling them getting pulled out of his mouth by Harvey. "If you're hungry enough to eat your own flesh," Harvey said to him, "you're hungry enough to eat something off the menu."

Mike chewed his lip for a second before making an executive decision. "I'll have the... uh... the uh... Pasta. Please," he added quickly seeing Harvey raise an eyebrow. "And some coke. Please."

"No fizzy drinks," Harvey told him, skimming the menu for himself. "I do not want you hyper. I'm already regretting taking you out in public."

Mike stuck his tongue out but hastily drew it back in when Harvey tilted his head slightly. "Fine... Juice. Please." Harvey nodded at this and decided on his own meal. He ordered, and then looked over at Mike, who was fidgeting in his chair.

"What?" Harvey asked him.

Mike looked up in alarm. "What?"

Harvey rolled his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Mike realised he had been fidgeting and stopped. He had been trying to think of ways to contact Donna without Harvey knowing. "Uhh..." Suddenly, he was struck with inspiration. He started to fidget once more. "I need to, uh... I'm going to the bathroom," Mike told him, jumping off his seat.

If Harvey had been a responsible parent, he would have sighed and stood up as well, taking the toddler's hand and going with him. As it was, he was reading through emails on his blackberry and knew that despite his appearance, Mike was fully capable of going to the bathroom on his own (Except at night, apparently). Harvey simply nodded to show he had heard him. Mike grinned and went into the toilets. He waited for a few seconds before closing his eyes and breathing slowly. Finally, he opened them and as if on demand felt them water. He looked up to the lights and tried to bring up some sobbing.

"Hello?" A man walked into the toilets, seeing the toddler on his own and crying. "Hey, what's wrong? Do you have your parents with you? Huh?" He came forward. "Where are your Mommy or Daddy?"

Mike gave a loud sniff and tried to bring up the feelings he had when his parents died. How alone he felt - as if he had simply gotten lost in a store and couldn't find them, and yet knowing that he would never see them again. Then he thought of losing Harvey. Of how scared he would be if he came out of the toilets to find that Harvey had vanished.

"Shit," the man mumbled, as Mike cried loudly. "Uh, Can you - uh, I mean..." He was clearly at a loss. "You want to use my phone to call them?" He asked, no doubt thinking wildly. Mike suddenly stopped crying - it took a minute or two, but he stopped - and nodded. The man bemusedly knelt and offered his phone.

Mike hastily dialled Donna's desk. "Donna?" He said as she picked up. "What? No, I'm fine," he tried to speak quietly, angling himself away from the man. "We need to decide what we're doing tomorrow. Where is he? Uh... No, it's fine, I know - I just need to - you are? Oh, okay. No, this is... I need to - Harvey's waiting, I should. No, it's fine... Bye," he hung up and passed the phone back to the man, who looked thoroughly confused.

"Thank you," he smiled. "I know where my Dad is," he left the bathroom, rubbing at his eyes quickly to get rid of any lasting moisture. He felt relief in that Donna said she was coming round tonight to act as babysitter as she would try to convince Harvey to go out for the night so they could plot to their heart's content.

"You took your time," Harvey said, eyeing Mike as he hopped back onto the seat.

"I uh... it took a while to reach the sinks," Mike told him. He picked the colouring up and frowned. He didn't want to do that. He started looking around, spotting things on the walls that intrigued him. He shuffled off the seat, about to go over.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Harvey asked, managing to take a hold of his arm.

"I'm bored!" Mike declared, pouting. "I'm just looking around!"

"Stay on your seat," Harvey ordered him. Apparently Mike was either in a rebellious mood or _really _bored, as he was soon off the chair, wiggling around underneath it, trying to walk off to look at stuff - at some stage he attempted to climb onto Harvey to see what he was typing on his phone.

Mike was pouting as the meal came, having been firmly told off and placed back on his seat by an angry Harvey. The pasta bowl in front of him looked good, smelt good, _tasted _good - but he couldn't help but wish he'd chosen something else. Harvey's burger looked really good.

"Mike?" He looked up to see Harvey looking at him. "Is there a reason you're practically drooling over my food?"

"Can I have some?" Mike asked, fidgeting again. Harvey gave him an _are you serious? _look. "Please? I don't want mine," he pouted, and pretended he couldn't see a vein throbbing on Harvey's forehead.

"I give you _one _bite of this," Harvey told him, "and you eat two bites of yours. Deal?" Harvey knew how to strike enticing deals; obviously, it was his job - and so he wasn't surprised when Mike's eyes widened and he nodded, eager to taste Harvey's food.

He took a bite and beamed, swallowing it before looking at Harvey from beneath his eyelids.

"What did we agree on?" Harvey said pointing at Mike.

Sighing, Mike took two bites of his pasta, looking over at Harvey for approval. He nodded, and Mike smiled. "Can I have more of yours?"

Harvey narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, an idea came to him. "Actually, how about we swap?"

"What?"

"Yep. I prefer your pasta to my burger. Shall we swap?"

Mike tilted his head but nodded, pushing his bowl towards Harvey. Harvey took a small bite of the pasta and smirked. "This is better than mine. I can't believe you'd rather have that burger than this pasta."

Mike frowned, looking down at the burger. It wasn't so appetizing now. And Harvey was enjoying the pasta... "I want mine back!" He decreed. "Please?"

Harvey rolled his eyes but pushed the pasta back, making sure he didn't give any indication that he was enjoying his burger. Because of this, Mike ate all of his pasta quickly, running his finger along the inside of the bowl to finish the sauce.

"Dessert?" Mike asked, not realising he had red sauce around his mouth and coating his hands.

Harvey; who was stuffed to bursting and really didn't want to give Mike any sugar, weighed up his options. He could quickly get the bill and leave; in which case Mike would no doubt throw some sort of tantrum but at least they could get out of public quickly. Or, he could let Mike eat dessert happily but then have him bouncing off the walls all day.

"How are you not full?" Harvey asked, trying to get rid of most of the sauce around his mouth and hands.

"I want ice cream," Mike told him, as if that explained it. He cowed slightly under Harvey's look. "I mean - can I have ice cream please?" Harvey did his weighing again and steeled himself.

"No, Mike - you're full and I don't want you hyper," he signalled for the bill, passing Mike some napkins. "Here - tidy yourself up."

"Because appearance's matter?" Mike groused sourly, angry that he wasn't getting dessert.

"Precisely," Harvey answered, paying and then picking Mike up as they left.

"I'll get sauce on you," Mike threatened, moving his mouth to rest on Harvey's shoulder. He was jogged up on Harvey's hip slightly in retaliation and pouted. Harvey sighed. At least Mike wasn't having a tantrum. Yet. He was probably tired. Checking his watch, Harvey realised that he had missed Mike's usual naptime.

"Come on, kid," Harvey said, rubbing his back slightly. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>As soon as Harvey had laid him down on the small bed, Mike had fallen asleep. Moving quickly, Harvey wet a cloth and went about getting rid of all the sauce on his face. He rubbed his hands down as well, smirking when Mike pulled one away so he could put the thumb of it in his mouth.<p>

Harvey sat down on his couch, sinking into it in relief... what a day...

That was the _last _time he would ever take the kid shopping, he couldn't believe that -

Wait.

That actually _was _the last time. Mike would be normal in about 2 days. Maybe 3.

Surely he should be happy about that? He couldn't see any downside to Mike being normal. He would have his associate back, he would have free weekends, he could shop for himself again, he could...

Dammit. Who was he trying to fool?

He loved having the kid around.

He growled at this revelation and poured himself a scotch, clutching at the glass as he melted into the back of the couch.

It was so much easier to deal with Mike now as well. Before there were so many problems - Trevor, his secret, the drugs, the loyalty... None of these problems now. As far as small Mike was concerned, drugs were just something to stop you being sick, Louis was mean and the only secret he had was... something. The kid was definitely trying to hide something from him. He would get to the bottom of it.

But right now, Harvey was Mike's whole world. He was looked to for shelter and protection; for comfort and warmth... What would happen when he was normal? If Mike hurt himself - which was a frequent occurrence at work (and how exactly was being a lawyer dangerous?) would he be able to stop himself issuing comfort? Would Harvey kick him out of the condo as soon as he changed or would they need days to adapt?

What kind of adapting? Would he still need naps, regular drinks being brought to him, would he still need soothing from nightmares, would he need the door left open when he was asleep, would he -

"Harvey?" He jumped, as lost in his thoughts as he was, and turned to find Donna stood behind the couch, having just shut the door.

"Donna, what are," he paused to stand up, rubbing at the back of his neck, "what are you doing here?"

"I thought I would give you a night off!" She told him, smiling.

"Last time I checked, parenting was a full-time job," Harvey quipped. It was meant to be just a small joke, a little harsh because of his slightly dour mood, but Donna's eyes lit up.

"I knew it!" She crowed triumphantly. "Oh, Harvey," she smiled. "All those careful months of building up the not-caring..." She grinned at him. "But go - go out somewhere for a while; Auntie Donna's here for some babysitting... Where's the munchkin?"

"Napping," Harvey told her, finishing his drink and putting the empty glass on a side table.

"Well then what better time to go out?" Donna said, pushing him slightly. "Come on, you know you want to relax somewhere other than here - I can tell you've had an... eventful day," she winked at him. He closed his eyes and shook his head, but had to admit he liked the idea of going out for a while, maybe meeting up with some old friends, or Jessica - or maybe just a woman; any woman... No. He couldn't be back late - he had to be back before Mike went to bed.

"I'll be back by 8," he told her, grabbing his jacket. "I don't know what you two are planning," he suddenly said to her, "but don't do anything that will in some way cause me to have to defend either of you."

Donna saluted and moved her large bag to set down on the couch. "Go, Harvey - you know we'll be fine. I'll explain to Mike that you've gone and you'll be back before he goes to bed. I can handle it," she waited, seeing him still stood there. "Go!"

She grinned as he finally left. If she had been the squealing type she would definitely have done it then. She found it more than cute that Harvey didn't want to go out because he was worried about Mike - he didn't need to say it; Donna knew he was.

Still, she could now prepare for the party. She looked at her watch. She would give it another half hour before waking Mike and preparing. She beamed.

It would be such a good party.

* * *

><p><strong>AN So... yeah - again, apologies for lateness, it fought with me a few times and like I said - mountain of work D: But yeah, let me know what you thought :D**

**I was going to have Mike being REALLY difficult when they went out but I couldn't bring myself to do that to Harvey XD**


	13. Chapter 13

**So, it's the big party ;D Thanks for the reviews – I really hope you enjoy this :) Think of it as my Christmas present to you all :D**

* * *

><p>When Mike woke up that morning, he wondered why he had woken up so early. He felt a fluttering sensation in his stomach, and suddenly realised.<p>

It was Harvey's birthday today.

He was already halfway to Harvey's bedroom before realising that the whole point of the party was that it was a surprise. He couldn't wish Harvey a happy birthday without giving it away. He was already at Harvey's door and so opened it anyway, climbing onto the bed and bouncing next to the older man. He couldn't help it – his excitement for the party was on par with how he used to feel on Christmas morning; before his parents died.

"Mike, what are you doing?" A low mumble came from under the covers and Mike tried to stop his zealous bouncing.

"Nothing. I'm just awake. Are you? Can we do something?" He was clearly _way _too excited.

"Not yet," Harvey muttered, refusing to move from the warm covers. Mike pouted but stopped bouncing, wriggling instead. Harvey had no idea why the kid was suddenly so awake. When he got back the previous night Donna had informed him that Mike had woken up half an hour after he had left. And when he came in he saw that the kid was already nodding off again, and didn't even wake up enough to act pleased to see him.

Not that he cared if the kid was pleased to see him…

He needed to stop thinking; it was bad to do so early in the morning. "What time is it, kid?" Harvey muttered. Mike looked at the clock.

"Uh... not that early," Mike said, lying badly.

"How. Early?" Harvey asked slowly, still not looking out of the covers.

"Half past 6?" Mike said hesitantly. He quickly moved under the covers as Harvey appeared out of them to glare at him. However, it was quite hard to glare when the kid poked his face out from underneath the duvet and stared up at him. "Sorry?"

"Just... try to go back to sleep for a while, huh?" Harvey told him, trying to get comfortable once more. "How about you go play or whatever it is you do on a morning and let me get some more sleep. Okay?" He felt Mike get off the bed and started to slip back into sleep, before hearing one of his drawers opening. Still not opening his eyes, he said: "What are you doing?"

The drawer closed, and Mike spoke. "Nothing. I just... I'll go back to my room."

He left, and Harvey found himself falling asleep again.

* * *

><p>The next time he woke up it was at a more civilised time, and he finally got out of bed, getting dressed and making coffee as he heard Mike come out of his room. "Can we do something today?" Mike asked, holding his bear with one arm as the other hand was holding...<p>

"Is that one of my ties?" Harvey asked, confused.

"Yeah," Mike answered, sitting on the floor cross-legged as he sat the bear in front of him. "I've been trying to tie this stupid thing for over an hour and I still can't do it," Harvey could tell how angry and frustrated the kid was and knelt, taking the tie.

"Who do you want it on?" Harvey asked.

"Harvey," Mike answered, pointing at the bear.

"You named your teddy 'Harvey'?" The older man asked incredulously.

"Can you just tie it, please?" Mike asked, frowning at his hands. He felt a small pat on the back and looked up to see that Harvey was wrapping the tie around Harvey-bear's neck expertly, standing back up when he was done.

"I've never seen a well-dressed bear before," Harvey commented, going back to his coffee. "Especially not one with such a fine name."

Mike grinned. Just then, the phone rang and Harvey walked over, answering it casually. Mike tried to listen in, wondering who it was. He caught the name 'Nick' a few times and thought that maybe this was Harvey's younger brother - he was sure he had heard Donna mention his name before.

He heard Harvey thank Nick and was sure he was saying Happy Birthday. That was when Mike glanced at the clock and remembered his plan with Donna - he was going to try and make Harvey go out for a while so that Donna could set up for the party. She would be over in an hour with her spare key.

He tugged on Harvey's leg. Without stopping his conversation with his brother, Harvey led him to the table and picked him up with one arm, placing him on a chair and pointing to a bowl of cereal waiting for him. "But I - " Mike started saying, before Harvey then placed a glass of juice in front of him as well. He continued talking as if he were simply sitting on the couch .

Mike could only stare. Harvey seemed to have mastered the art of parenting.

He shook this thought from his head and quickly finished his breakfast. As soon as he could draw breath he tried again: "Harvey - "

"Hang on a second, Nick," Harvey said, before cocking his head and looking over at him. "Mike - chew your food next time, okay?" He then went back to his conversation with his brother. Mike scowled and got off his chair, having to snicker slightly as he heard Harvey argue with his brother. "No, I do _not '_sound like his dad' - the kid's just trying to interrupt..."

"Harvey, can we _please _go somewhere?" Mike begged, grabbing his well-dressed teddy.

"One second," Harvey said into the phone, before covering the mouth piece. "Mike - we'll go somewhere if you stop trying to interrupt and get ready. Okay?" Mike pretended not to hear the irritated tone in his voice and beamed, running into his room to get ready.

* * *

><p>They were finally out; Mike had managed to persuade Harvey to go to the park. He was clutching onto the dressed up bear like he didn't want to let it go; having refused to go without it.<p>

Harvey noticed this. "Are you okay?" He asked. "You look nervous about something."

Mike scowled as he remembered that Harvey could read people so easily. And he forgot how he was even more easily readable than most people - at least to Harvey. He was worried about the party - excited, but worried. What if Harvey didn't like it? He never celebrated his birthday usually - what was the reason? What if there was some deep, dark reason that Harvey never did anything? What if something happened while Donna was setting up? What if no one turned up? What if he couldn't find the present that he was going to give Harvey?

"Mike?" He looked up, realising he had just been staring into space, squeezing the bear tighter as he panicked. "Do you want to leave?" Harvey thought it was maybe the crowds that were worrying Mike; or the children on the play equipment.

Mike hastily shook his head. "No! I want to stay! Until at least half past 3!"

Harvey frowned at the specific time and checked his watch. "You want to stay here for another 3 hours?" Harvey asked. "Yeah - not going to happen."

"Why not?" Mike pouted, pulling on Harvey's leg for them to walk deeper into the park rather than walk closer to the exit.

"Because it's cold, and my brother mentioned something about coming over later - I don't want to get an angry phone call telling me he's outside my apartment," Harvey explained. Mike kept quiet, knowing that Donna had invited Harvey's brother to the party. Somehow, she had invited well over 20 people; Mike didn't know that Harvey had that many friends. He was more amazed that they all replied back to Donna that they were attending; with only 2 days notice Mike found this impressive.

"You're hiding something," Harvey said suddenly as they walked.

"What?"

"Usually you can't wait to pry into my personal life as much as possible - I mention my brother coming and you don't say anything. What are you planning?"

Mike looked up at him with wide eyes. "Nothing!" He insisted, looking away. He knew that he was barely keeping it a secret - it was threatening to break free through his lips; if Harvey kept pressing then he would spill everything. "Look, the play park!" He switched the hand clutching Harvey's with the paw of his bear and shot off, towards the empty swingset.

Harvey stood there for a moment, not quite sure what had happened. He was left standing on the path, holding Mike's teddy as the boy himself was running away, dodging around people and remaining out of Harvey's sight for longer than the older man would have liked.

"Mike!" He yelled, striding down the path. His knowledge of Mike's guilt forgotten as he too had to slip between groups of people as he tried to locate the boy. He finally got a glimpse of the blonde hair and the large red coat that Donna had bought to keep him warm. The mittens that she had bought and that Harvey had only half-heartedly insisted on him wearing (Because - seriously?) were red too, giving him something to pick out in the swarm of children.

He noticed that Mike became much slower as he got closer to the other children. He knew that something was off as soon as Mike suggested the play park - he didn't really do well around other children and Harvey wasn't that comfortable about it either; seeing the kid being shoved down a slide sprang to mind.

Mike had stopped moving altogether as he got to the gate of the park and turned, looking for Harvey in the throng of people using the park as a thoroughfare. He became panicked for a moment, before a familiar scent overwhelmed him as the older man suddenly appeared and knelt in front of him.

"Mike - how many times have we talked about this?" Harvey asked rhetorically, taking Mike's shoulders gently. "You run off, you get lost - I get shot by Donna. Do you want that?"

"Sorry, Harvey," Mike murmured sincerely, happily accepting the bear that Harvey had been forced to carry. He hugged it to his chest and asked: "So now what?"

"Now we go back because you clearly can't be trusted to behave in a public space," Harvey told him, grabbing him by the armpits and picking him up, ensuring there would be no more running away.

"But Harvey!" Mike whined, squirming everywhere. "We can't go yet! Please? I _promise _I'll stick to you like glue! I don't mind where we go!"

"Good, then you won't mind my nice _warm _apartment then," Harvey told him, walking in the direction they came from.

"Please? You can get a coffee or something? I just want to go on the swings - please? Or... or we could go into work, or... or..." Mike was drawing blanks - he knew he shouldn't have been put in charge of distraction. "We could..." A thought hit him. "Can I...?" He tailed off shyly.

"What?" Harvey asked grumpily.

"Can we go see my Gram?" Mike started pulling a loose thread on his mittens, which Harvey quickly stopped him doing by removing his hand and placing his own - much larger one - around it.

"Sure thing, kid. When's visiting hours?"

"What day is it?"

"Saturday."

Mike's first reaction was to say all day, because it was true. However, that would only mean that Harvey would go later. "Half past 12 till half past 4."

It was one of those rare cases that Harvey didn't spot Mike's lie - of which he was eternally grateful. Harvey simply sighed and nodded, eager to get out of the cold.

* * *

><p>"Michael!" The old woman happily pushed her book aside in favour of the small boy who was beaming at her and squirming to be let out of the careful hold Harvey had him in. "This is a surprise!"<p>

"Hi, Grammy!" Mike exclaimed. "I'm sorry I haven't been to see you in a while; we've been busy."

"Not with work, surely?" She asked, smiling at the small child who - after hugging her legs - crawled onto Harvey's lap. He had taken a seat in the chair next to Mrs Ross's, unbuttoning his stylish yet warm winter jacket.

"Don't worry, Mrs Ross, I'm not making him work," Harvey told her, smiling slightly. "Even if he wants me to."

"I get bored!" Mike told him, trying to sit further upwards on Harvey's lap, as the older man clamped his legs down to actually keep him sitting rather than standing on his knees. He still had a hold of his teddy, and was fiddling with the tie. Harvey managed to keep his mouth shut as he was about to snipe about the cost of the tie and the greasy fingerprints that would undoubtedly be present if he looked. He didn't think it would be a good thing to say in front of Mike's grandmother.

However, the woman beat him to it. "Michael; surely this isn't one of _your _ties?" She asked, holding it carefully between two arthritic fingers.

Mike shook his head. "It's Harvey's, I borrowed it. He doesn't mind."

"Does he not?" She asked, shaking her head. "Not even with how messy you're making it?" Mike looked down and swallowed as he saw how crumpled and dirty it had somehow managed to become.

"He doesn't mind," he reiterated. "He put the tie on for me. I couldn't do it," he frowned, pulling the bear closer.

"Well that was nice of him, wasn't it?" She said, talking to him in a slight stern manner that Harvey hoped he could one day achieve. "Did you say thank you? Michael?" She said his name when he refused to answer or look up.

"No," he said quietly, looking up at Harvey with a heart broken face, as if he had committed a cardinal sin.

"Well then what do we say?" She pushed.

"Thank you, Harvey," Mike said. He wanted to turn and give him a hug, but couldn't manage it, so instead just snuggled backwards, putting his thumb in his mouth. He knew he was tired - and he knew that if he fell asleep then Harvey would go straight home and ruin the surprise. It was half past 2 - only one more hour. He was sure he could do it.

However - like always - Harvey saw straight through it.

"Nap time," he said, going to stand up.

"No, please, Harvey!" Mike begged, rubbing at his eyes. "I can't tell you why, but can we _please _stay till half past 3? _Please_."

Harvey frowned, confused, but nodded. "Okay, kid, we can stay. As long as your Grandmother doesn't mind."

"It would be my pleasure - it's been years since I've entertained guests. I'm afraid I can't offer you anything in the way of drinks, but you're welcome to this dreadful pot of pills they insist on giving me," she said, pointing to the small pot on her bedside table.

"No, Grammy - you have to take your pills," Mike said tiredly, his eyes closing slightly as his head lolled on Harvey's arm. "Promise we won't go until half past 3," he murmured.

Harvey rolled his eyes but pulled Mike into a more comfortable position. "I promise."

* * *

><p>Harvey had woken him at 3:25 and said goodbye to Mrs Ross.<p>

"What did you talk about with her?" Mike asked, feeling refreshed from his one hour nap. To his dismay, Harvey didn't say anything, simply tapped his nose and continued up the stairs to his apartment.

Mike was getting beyond nervous now - would everything be ready? Would everyone have made it in time? Would Harvey even like it?

He wasn't sure if Harvey liked getting surprised.

It was a bit too late to ask, as Harvey opened the door to the dark apartment. Just when Mike thought that it had gone wrong, the lights turned on and everyone jumped out and shouted "Surprise!" as one. Mike found himself jerked back slightly as he was still in Harvey's arms and the man jumped slightly. He lost his grip on his teddy and grabbed at the air fruitlessly for it as it tumbled and bounced onto the floor.

"Harvey!"

His shout wasn't heard in the crowd of laughter and talking. He looked down at the bear lying on the floor and frowned, pulling at Harvey's jacket. "Harvey, you need to - "

But Harvey wasn't paying attention. He stared round at the many people and the decorations that Donna had artfully put up and smiled. He shook his head and glanced down at Mike. "You were in on this?" He asked.

"I came up with it!" Mike said indignantly. "Can you pick up - "

"Happy Birthday, Harvey!" Donna said, striding forward out of the crowd. "You need to celebrate it every once in a while!"

Harvey looked around his flat and recognised friends from Harvard that he only ever met in the alumni bar, he saw some of the other partners of the firm; Jessica was there as well. He put Mike down, realising most of his friends would have no idea why he was holding a toddler, and gave a small smile as Mike quickly swept up his dropped bear and held it close, walking over to Donna and chewing the ear of Harvey-bear.

"Look at that, he's actually speechless," Jessica smirked, pouring a glass of champagne and walking over to him elegantly, offering him the glass. "Happy Birthday, Harvey."

"How did..." Harvey had a horrible feeling that his mouth had fallen open.

"Donna arranged everything," Jessica told him, as Donna gave a small 'it was nothing' shrug.

"I couldn't have done it without Mike," she said, ruffling the toddler's hair - who was more concerned about trying to get to the buffet that had been arranged on the kitchen counters and table. Donna tried to hold him still so Harvey could greet his guests, but instead he just gave a small laugh.

"It's okay, Donna - let the walking mouth go get food. Everyone; thank you very much for coming to Donna and Mike's surprise. Enjoy."

He gracefully walked into the crowd to oversee Mike dishing out his own food.

"No - cake comes after."

"_Please_, Harvey?"

"Nope. Eat some of this wonderful looking... What the hell is this?"

"I think Donna mentioned seafood salad..."

"... Don't drop cake down yourself."

* * *

><p>Mike beamed as he watched Harvey. The older man was actually enjoying the party, which Mike was eternally happy about. He was quite thankful that he was being ignored. Donna had apparently told everyone that Harvey's nephew was staying with him for a few days and because most of Harvey's friends were like Harvey and weren't exactly child-friendly, they left him alone.<p>

He weaved through the crowds, trying to find a nice corner to sit in but found that people were everywhere. Each of his normal spots were taken, and he felt strangely angry with all these strangers in their - in _Harvey's _home. He kept a tight hold of his bear and went to climb onto the couch, only for a partner he recognised from the firm to take it from him moments before he got there. He frowned and turned, squeezing his bear in frustration. Then it hit him - Harvey's room. No one would be in there.

He pushed the door open, fully intending on just staying in there till the party finished - usually he loved parties, but right now he didn't want to interact with anyone. However, there was someone on the bed - _two _someone's making out. Mike gave a small 'eep' and backed away quickly, stuttering his apologies before he found himself walking backwards into someone's legs.

He stopped and turned, feeling relief when he saw that Harvey was stood there, his eyebrows lifted. He picked Mike up before talking to the people on the bed. "Usually it's a custom to put a tie on the door, isn't it?"

Mike was confused, wondering why Harvey wasn't more angry, before the man of the two lovers sprang up, a smirk on his face that was identical to the one usually worn on Harvey's. "Big bro! Happy Birthday! I was just talking with... uh...?" He gestured towards the woman who was already darting out of the room. "Who was that?"

"That was my cleaner," Harvey told him, shaking his head.

"You invited your cleaner to your birthday party?"

"Blame Donna - she and Mike cooked this up themselves."

"Oh yeah - when do I meet the kid?"

Harvey put Mike down on his brothers lap. "Meet your son."

"What? Harvey, I know it looked bad just then, but I don't think you gave us enough time to get to that stage - "

"Mike, meet Nick. Nicky, this is my _nephew _Mike."

"Oh," the cogs finally slotted into place. "I get it - your nephew means my son. Got it. Hi, Mike."

"Hey," Mike said back shyly, fully aware that he was sat on a stranger's lap.

Nick seemed to notice this and grinned. "Don't worry about it, Mike - Harvey told me what happened. You wanna stand on your own two feet?"

Mike glanced over to Harvey who rolled his eyes and picked him back up, jostling him slightly to keep him straight. Nick's grin widened. "Or not - does my big brother have some mothering instinct in him after all?"

Mike winced as he watched the familiar lines starting to appear on Harvey's face. "I'm just going to go and find a corner..." Mike said, starting to mumble as he got closer to the end of his sentence. He hastily wiggled free and left the room; feeling sorry for Nick - especially when the door closed.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, young man," Mike glanced up from where he'd been sat next to the TV, absent-mindedly playing with his teddy. An elderly man smiled at him warmly. "I wonder if you can help me - Harvey told me he had a rare copy of a law book in his study and told me that I was more than welcome to read it. However, it seems that I can't find anything in this overly large apartment of his."<p>

Mike tried to wrap his head around the man's speech. It was incredibly formal, and the accent gave a hint of British, although he had clearly lived in the states for a long time. "Sure, it's over here - I'll show you," he smiled and stood up, taking the man's hand impulsively.

"It's just in here," Mike led the man to his room and opened the door, standing on his tip toes to open it. The man waited patiently for him to do it, and then stepped through after Mike, paying no attention to the bed with the bright blue sheets on it. Mike climbed onto the bed and put his bear down, watching as the man looked at the spines of the books.

"I'm Mike," he introduced.

The man looked at him and smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Mike - you can call me Bill."

"How do you know Har - Uncle Harvey?"

"We've worked together - of course that was quite some time ago; before he got too big for his britches and became a partner in his law firm," Bill winked at Mike and apparently found the book he was looking for. "My, this is in excellent condition! Your Uncle is to be commended!"

"Would you like to read it in here?" Mike offered. "There's room on the bed." He expected Bill to say no, but was surprised when the elderly man sat down next to him and opened the book, taking out some glasses from his pocket.

"I hope you don't mind if I read this aloud," he said - and Mike was impressed that he would talk like this in front of a child. "It helps me take it in more."

"I hope you don't mind if I listen," Mike said, grabbing his sea lion and settling in.

"I'm impressed - your Uncle teach you about the law?"

"Yep," Mike said, feeling daring. "I can file a patent for you, if you want!"

Bill chuckled and ruffled Mike's hair. "Thank you, Mike - but my days of filing patents are long gone. I'm only good for occasional research and being consulted by worried associates - that's how I met your Uncle."

"What happened?" Mike asked, eager to hear about Harvey's younger days.

"You're interested?" Bill asked. "Usually people run when I start my stories. And so few young people nowadays care what old codgers like me have to say."

"I like stories," Mike told him, looking up and giving Bill his full attention.

The old man looked very pleased, and settled back onto the bed, beginning his story.

* * *

><p>"Donna, have you seen Mike?" Harvey asked, looking through the sea of guests.<p>

"Harvey - relax," Donna told him, topping up his champagne glass. "He's not exactly going to get lost in your apartment is he? He'll be bored - chances are he's fallen asleep somewhere."

"If he sleeps now, I won't get him to sleep tonight," Harvey told her.

"Do I detect some worry in that statement?" Donna asked him, before suddenly giving a small gasp and turning, as someone had given her a hug from behind. "Nick!" She gave him a warm hug, knowing that he would be sticking his tongue out to Harvey over her shoulder.

"How's my favourite girl?" He asked sincerely.

"Still thinking over the last couple of marriage proposals you gave me," she smiled, finishing the hug but keeping her arm around him as they turned back to Harvey, who was rolling his eyes. "Oh don't act so jealous," she said to him.

"Yeah - she spends most of her time with you," Nick said. "Although... You do pay her for that. She talks to me because she wants to, not because she has to." He grinned cheekily at this display of so-called logic.

"That sounds familiar," Donna muttered. "Spent more time with Mike than we thought?"

"Well he _is _my son," Nick pointed out. "I have a parental obligation or something - where's the alcohol, Harv? I'm going to make use of that guest bed I was told about so I might as well collapse into it."

"Your _son _is going to be sleeping in that bed tonight," Harvey told him, still scanning the room for a trace of the toddler. "And if you do stay, you're not allowed to keep him awake by being drunk."

"Such a prude," Nick pouted; causing Donna to think that the reason Harvey had taken a shine to Mike was because he and Nick were incredibly similar. "Fine - we'll share your bed, Harvey-bear."

He ducked Harvey's hand and grinned, going off in search of alcohol, whilst Donna was yet again reminded of Mike - and his teddy.

"Now I remember why we don't see each other that much," Harvey grumbled, but with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.

"You love him," Donna teased, before glancing at a clock. "Can we open presents now?"

"What are you, a four year old on Christmas day?" Harvey sniped, before looking over to the small pile of presents and envelopes on the table. "I hate thanking people for presents," he muttered.

"_Now _who's being childish?" Donna said, sweeping away. "I'll tell everyone what's happening - you go find Mike."

* * *

><p>"Mike?" The toddler in question looked over from where he had been sat on the bed, listening in delight to Bill's stories. "There you are - come on, Donna says I have to open things now."<p>

"Ooh, I'm coming!" He said happily, before remembering something. "Uh, actually will you wait? I need to do something first. You have to go though."

"Fantastic," Harvey rolled his eyes before seeing the elderly man next to Mike. "Bill, how are you?" Harvey asked, shaking his hand before looking over at Mike with an odd look on his face. "I hope he wasn't holding you against your will - or talking your ear off."

Bill laughed. "Unfortunately it was the other way round, Harvey. Now, I believe we have to leave so that Mike can do something."

"Five minutes, Mike," Harvey told him, before he and Bill left the room. Quickly, Mike darted under the desk to retrieve the present he needed to wrap. He was originally going to put it under the bed, but then realised that Harvey looked under there every night for him - plus there was a small chance that the present could be eaten by monsters.

He pulled out the photo frame before carefully slotting the picture inside it. He glanced around and found a hastily hidden roll of wrapping paper and carefully wrapped the gift, slowly taping it together and biting off the bits that weren't needed. He stood up and held it carefully, slowly peeking out of the room to find that people were starting to gather in the centre of the room, and Mike pushed through to get to the front.

"Glad you could join us," Harvey said to him, looking almost uncomfortable having to open the gifts in front of everyone.

"You're welcome," he said brightly, before shyly presenting Harvey with the gift. "Happy Birthday."

He received a genuine warm smile and blushed, looking down at his feet as Donna spoke. "Everyone, get ready to embarrass him!"

Mike shared a glance with Harvey to show he had no idea what was taking place and both jumped as everyone started singing 'Happy Birthday', as Donna walked towards them with a large cake full of candles. Mike grinned and joined in, giggling slightly at both Harvey's face and Nick's singing - apparently he was trying to drown every one else's voices out.

When they finished, Harvey took a deep breath and blew all the candles out in one, shaking his head at this juvenile way to celebrate a birthday. "Presents now, Harvey!" Donna said excitedly.

Harvey rolled his eyes but took the first gift off the pile and unwrapped it, thanking the person who had given him it. He went through the same ritual with each present before he got to the last one - Mike's. "Open it!" Mike said excitedly, fidgeting as he watched Harvey carefully open it. He started chewing his thumb as Harvey looked at the picture of the two of them at the zoo, framed in a tasteful looking picture frame. "Do you like it?" Mike asked quietly, noticing the lack of reaction.

Harvey looked down at him and gave a small smile. "Thank you, Mike," he said, motioning subtly for Mike to get on the couch with him. Mike quickly crawled onto the couch and onto Harvey's lap. "I'm going to put it up in my apartment, okay? I'd put it in my office, but then there'd be all sorts of complications from that. But just remember it's up here, okay?"

Mike nodded, slightly confused as to why Harvey would feel the need to tell him this. Then it hit him.

He would be normal in 2 days max - maybe 1. He would be out of Harvey's apartment and back in his own; there would be nothing to show for the past 2 weeks beside their memories - and the pictures they didn't know Donna had taken. But Harvey was keeping that picture - putting it up when he didn't have any other pictures of his family.

"Thank you," Mike said softly, pretending he wasn't sniffling slightly.

Hoping to nip it in the bud before he got too emotional, Harvey quickly ruffled Mike's hair and stood up. "Thank you everyone, really - I know I don't usually celebrate my birthday; and just to warn you I'm not likely to in the future. This year was just..." he glanced at Donna and then Mike. "Special."

* * *

><p>It was getting to half past 9, and most people were starting to leave. Nick - true to his word had drank the best part of 2 bottles of wine and was sprawled on the couch, telling Harvey that he shouldn't have installed moving walls in the apartment.<p>

"I guess I have him here whether I want him or not," Harvey smirked as he said goodbye to more people.

"He can stay in my room!" Mike offered, yawning. He really liked Harvey's brother - there were lots of things he couldn't wait to ask him when he was sober.

Harvey smiled. "He can have the couch."

"Harvey - Harvey bring my nephew over!" Nick demanded.

"Your son, Nicky," he reminded his little brother. "My nephew means your son."

"Nope, he's definitely your son," Nick told him, taking Mike anyway. "Hey, kiddo. I'm your cool Uncle Nick - you can talk to me about girls, and I'll give you way better presents than your Dad will - and when you run away; call me! I'll get us a 6-pack each and we can prank call your Dad..." Mike giggled as Nick started to slip sideways on the couch. "Harv, your kid is falling."

"No, that would be you," Harvey said patiently, pulling him upright. "I think you should have some water."

"Do I get cake?" Nick asked, squinting over at the remains of the buffet.

"Sure," Harvey said, giving up on his drunken sibling. "Come here, Mike," he said, holding out his hand. Mike got off Nick's lap and walked with Harvey to the door where their last guest, Bill, was putting on his coat.

"Harvey - splendid party," he said, putting gloves on afterwards. "And what a charmingly bright nephew you have - I hope to see you again, young man," he smiled at Mike, holding out a hand. Mike shook it and grinned at Bill.

"Me too."

"You might," Harvey said cryptically, showing Bill out.

"See you later, Mr Hardman," Donna said to him cheerily from her place in the kitchen where she was putting empty cans and wrapping in bin bags.

"Wait..." Mike said. "Hardman... The - _The _Hardman? From Pearson-Hardman... That Hardman?"

"Oh look, he's caught up," Harvey said teasingly.

"I was... I was talking to a managing partner? In your apartment? Sat on a bed with bedding that has a puppy motif? Wearing dungarees?" Mike felt like dying of embarrassment.

"Don't worry - when you're normal I'll introduce you again," Harvey smirked, and both pretended there wasn't an awkward silence after he said 'normal again'.

"Alright, boys," Donna said, clearing up the last of the party poppers (Mike had gone slightly mad with them, and Harvey wasn't sure if Nick's ear would ever recover). "I'm going now."

"Okay, Donna," Harvey said, grabbing her coat for her. "Thanks by the way," he suddenly said, as she took her coat and put it on, one hand on the door handle. "For this."

She beamed brightly. "Thank Mike," she told him. "It was his idea. And good luck with your brother," she grinned as Nick had come over to see her out.

"Bye, Donna," He said, kissing her hand. "Marry me?"

"For the sixth time - I'll have to think about it," she smiled at him, giving him a hug goodbye. "I'll see you at Christmas?"

"Bet on it," Nick grinned. "Gotta visit my nephew after all."

"Son," Harvey reminded him again.

"Whatever," he waved his hand, before picking Mike up. "Isn't it your bedtime, kiddo?"

"I don't have one," Mike said defiantly. "And don't patronise me - I'm older than you!"

"Actually _he's_ older than _you_," Harvey said after closing the door once Donna left. "And it _is _your bedtime."

"But I'm not tired!" Mike whined, causing Harvey to raise an eyebrow.

"Of course not," he said.

"Don't worry, Harv - I got this," Nick said. He suddenly started tickling Mike, refusing to let him go. "You going to bed soon, Mikey?"

"Nooo!" He laughed, breathlessly. "Put me down!"

"I'll throw you in the air!" Nick threatened, doing it anyway. Harvey winced and quickly grabbed Mike out of mid air like a ninja.

"I don't think it's the best idea in the world to have a drunk person throw a toddler in the air, is it?" Harvey asked him, walking to the study. Nick shrugged and followed them in.

He watched as Harvey coerced Mike into a pull-up and his pyjamas before sending him to the bathroom, quickly tidying around the bed. "You look like Dad," Nick laughed, resting against the door. "You gonna tuck him in too?"

"This will be your bed if you don't watch out," Harvey muttered, glaring at his brother. Nick put his hands in the air and smiled at Mike as he came back from the bathroom.

"So - you know how your Uncle Nick is staying overnight and would _really _like a proper bed to sleep in?" He said to the toddler. Mike just chuckled and took hold of his teddy, loosening the tie but he was unable to take it off completely. Harvey took it and gently manoeuvred Mike into bed so that by the time he was under the covers, the bear was tie-free and in Mike's arms once more.

"Alright - night, kid; if Nick wakes you, just kick him and tell me, okay?" Harvey said, smiling at the sound of his brothers indignant tut by the doorway.

Mike smiled. "I will. Night, Harvey. Happy Birthday," he gave a shy smile as Harvey ruffled his hair.

"Thanks - for the party. And the present." Harvey gave him one more smile and got up, turning on the night light and leaving the door open slightly. He passed Nick another glass of water and the man hastily gulped it down.

"If you wake him..." Harvey growled as he went to sit down on the couch.

"I swear I won't, Harvey," Nick promised, sitting next to him. "So... you like having him here?"

"I can't get rid of him," Harvey said, attempting to dodge the question.

"Whatever - you know you can't pull that stuff on me. And you gave him the bed. Him! Over your own brother!"

"It was his bed first," Harvey reminded him. "Good night, Nick."

"Night, big bro," Nick answered as Harvey went into his own room. "You so care about that kid."

The bedroom door closed and Nick grinned. He wouldn't tell anyone anyway.

Not even if the next morning he woke up to find that Mike had crawled into Harvey's bed in the middle of the night and he had found them in the morning, snuggled around each other - whatever Harvey said, that was snuggling.

Not that he'd tell anyone he had a picture on his phone.

* * *

><p><strong>There we have it :D I really hope you liked this - please review, it means the world to me! Anyway - I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up; I can't for the life of me think of what will happen next... But Merry Christmas! And if you don't celebrate Christmas - have a happy holiday or whatever it is you're doing! :)<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the reviews guys, I'm really glad you like this :D And I'm weirdly touched with how emotionally attached some of you are getting with mini!Mike (*cough* _signofthetimes _*cough*) don't worry yourselves about the ending - let me do that ;) Massive thank you to _HuffynDK _who inspired me with an idea for this chapter :)**

**Oh, and people have been questioning the amount of juice that Mike drinks XD I hadn't even thought of all the sugar, but tbh I was thinking about cordial - so the stuff you dilute with water which has WAY less sugar than fruit juice - still tastes good though :D**

* * *

><p>When Harvey woke up the morning after the party, he shuffled slightly, thinking that Nick had gotten into the bed with him and passed out. He could feel <em>something <em>on him; something _clutching_...

He gently pulled Mike's small hands from their clutch of his t-shirt and the waistband of his sleeping pants and pushed himself up, slowly moving Mike over so that the kid turned his back on Harvey and started to clutch the teddy as he had done the older man.

Harvey struggled to remember how exactly Mike came to be in his bed, but he decided that was a question for another time (_and weren't they running out of that?_) and instead decided to check on his brother. Whether it was because he hadn't seen Nick in a while or because he was used to looking after someone - the brotherly duties were flooding back to him and he was remembering a time when he had to make sure his little brother was okay - their parents were too busy sometimes and god knows Nick could get into trouble in an empty room - much like Mike.

He walked into the living room and smirked at the sight of his little brother sat at the kitchen table, holding his head and drinking from a pitcher of water. Harvey would have taken deliberately loud, heavy steps to cause his brother more well-deserved pain, but he was thinking of the little boy still fast asleep in his bed and continued his swift yet silent footsteps towards Nick.

"Morning," he said with a smirk.

Nick looked up at him and groaned. "I could tell by the light. Is New York usually this bright on a morning? At 8 o clock no less? In _November_?"

Harvey shrugged, making a pot of coffee. "I paid a lot for this place, I made sure as much light as possible would get through those windows."

"Tight ass," Nick muttered. "You just didn't want to pay for a rise in electricity bills."

Harvey ignored his brother's tone - previous experience had told him that Nick wasn't the most sociable person in the world when he was hungover. He was about to sit down and taunt his 'ill' brother when his phone went off. Grabbing it and holding it next to Nick's ear for a moment to receive a punch to the gut that was worth it, Harvey straightened and greeted the caller slightly breathlessly.

"_Harvey, I know it's your day off - and it's the day after your party but we could really use your help on this,_" Jessica's voice said down the line. "_Victor won't settle; and apparently will only think about it if you're here to explain it to him. Can you come down?_"

Harvey looked at the clock. "I'm assuming that because it's Victor I won't be back until tonight," he sighed, rolling his eyes and hushing his nosy little brother who was looking at the phone with interest. "Okay, I'll come down."

"_Would you like me to send Donna to look after Mike or will you be bringing him in?_" Jessica asked, as if it was routine now for Harvey to need babysitters. He was about to decide when he suddenly locked eyes with Nick.

"That won't be necessary, Jessica - I've got a live-in babysitter right now. I'll be there in 20 minutes," he put the phone down and gave an almost wicked grin to Nick, who was looking back wearily, having only heard Harvey's part of the conversation.

"Sure - I'll make sure the kid doesn't die - as long as you promise to be careful with 'Victor' - use protection," he sniggered and was hit on the head by the t-shirt that Harvey had slept in as the older man hastily changed. It could only have been 2 minutes but Harvey was getting his suit jacket on, his hair carefully styled and flawless and was giving Nick his marching orders.

"Okay - I need to close a client; it should probably take most of the day. _You_," he said, looking at Nick, "look after Mike till I get back," Nick gave him a salute. "Don't feed him junk; makes sure he naps at 2 or he'll be cranky but don't _tell _him to nap, just let him do it. Don't be patronising but remember he's a kid at the same time. Don't go out anywhere and since I know you'll ignore that completely - make sure he's dressed for going outside. Make sure you keep giving him drinks and snacks and do _not _give him sugar. Oh, and if you tidy around a bit too, that would be good."

Nick stared at him, his mouth open slightly. "You... I... uh... I will?"

"Okay - I'll see you later."

"Why are you in such a rush?" Nick asked just before Harvey left the apartment. "Surely this client can wait?"

"No, he won't - plus, I'm in too much of a rush to tell Mike where I'm going, so I'm leaving that to you."

"That can't be too hard!" Nick said, giving Harvey a beam of fake confidence. Harvey's wicked grin reappeared and he left. "Right," Nick said to himself - having to think out loud. "This'll be easy. Kids can't be that hard to manage. And this one's been looking after himself for a few years anyway. Right... Don't feed him junk, give him 2 naps? Or was it 1? Uh... he'll be cranky if he doesn't nap but I can't tell him to nap - or did he say I could? Uh... wear a jacket when we go out, feed him a lot... Uh..." Nick was at a loss and considered running after Harvey's car when the bedroom door opened.

"Nick?" Mike padded in, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "Where's Harvey?"

"He had to work - he left you in the kinda capable and yet slightly hungover hands of - "

"He _left_?"

_Oh shit._

* * *

><p>"No, no, no, no - Mike, put my drink down - yours is on the table!"<p>

"What's wrong with yours?"

"I don't... It's..." Nick readied himself. "It's got a grown up drink in it, put it down."

"A grown up drink?" Mike's eyes narrowed and Nick threw himself out of Harvey's room - clad only in a towel from his recent shower - and grabbed his cup of coffee out of Mike's hands. If there was only one thing he knew about children (And to be honest - there was) it was that they shouldn't drink coffee. He hastily drank quite a bit of it, burning his mouth as the scalding liquid entered it.

He quickly pulled his boxers on underneath the towel and proceeded to drop the towel on Mike's head, who pulled it off quickly.

"See? That's what happens if you don't do what the babysitter says!" Nick crowed victoriously.

Mike shot him a hateful glare. "I'll call Harvey!" Mike threatened.

"Well then I'll call Donna!" Nick shot back, unaware that they were both pouting.

"I'll call... I'll call your Mom!" Mike told him. "I memorised the numbers in Harvey's contact list!"

Nick paled slightly. "You're bluffing."

"Try me," Mike jutted his jaw out slightly in defiance. Nick's fingers hovered over his cell whilst Mike's did the same over Harvey's home phone. They stood in a bizarre twist of a Mexican stand-off for about 20 seconds before slowly standing down.

"Okay," Nick breathed out. "I'll try not to make any more patronising statements or drop wet towels on you."

"And I won't drink your coffee or call your Mom," Mike grinned at him.

"Shame - I'm sure she'd love to meet her first grandchild," Nick smirked at him, pulling a top on now he was certain that Mike wouldn't steal his caffeine.

"You do realise I'm not _actually _your son, right?" Mike snarked, bundling up the wet towel he still had next to him and throwing it at Nick, pleased when it hit him in the face.

"Yeah, despite what Harvey claims, he didn't inherit _all _of the Specter brains," Nick informed him. "I'm not an idiot. Which is why I can see how much you like hanging around with my big brother."

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked, twisting his hands together in a clear sign of nervousness.

"Oh please - you think I kept slipping up by accident about being your uncle? Well... most of it was the wine talking, but I was getting confused as well - the way you two interact, it's as if..."

Mike's eyes widened in alarm. "What? No, I just - he's letting me stay till I'm back to normal, and - "

Nick gave a laugh. "I would have thought you wouldn't have been suckered into the 'no caring' thing any more than I had. Can I tell you something?" Mike nodded. "Harvey wouldn't say this - heck, he's never said it to me and I'm his brother... But he loves you. I can tell - he's not looking after you cause of some sense of duty out of his working relationship with you - he genuinely couldn't stand to see anything happen to you."

Mike lowered his wide eyes to the floor as Nick went to Harvey's room to drop the still-wet towel on the bed - if only to annoy his older brother. Mike didn't know how to react; he always teased Harvey about secretly caring; and he found that he did actually _want _to believe Nick - after all, who knew Harvey better than his own brother? Or, was Nick just guessing because _Mike _was the one that was easy to read? Nick saw how much Mike looked up to Harvey and assumed that Harvey must feel the same?

"Nick, how do you - " He stopped as he heard Nick's cell phone start to ring. The older man was still in Harvey's room, so Mike took it upon himself to answer for him. He checked the caller ID and couldn't help but smile slightly. "Hi, Harvey."

_"Mike? Where's Nick?"_

"He's left me in the really deep bath to grab some more alcohol for us both," Mike deadpanned. There was a moment of silence on the other end and Mike could imagine Harvey's face at that minute. "He's just in your room. I'll shout him," he yelled for Nick and passed the phone up to him.

"Hey, big brother, how's - what? No, I haven't left him to drown... No, I'm not drinking! Where's the trust?" Nick looked down at Mike and mouth 'what the hell?' to which Mike just shrugged, keeping an innocent look on his face.

"Uh - yeah, don't worry; he's been up for a while. Yeah, of course he's eaten," Nick looked down at Mike hopefully to which Mike shook his head. "Yeah, we're having a great time - we were just, uh... watching a film? No, that wasn't a question. It was statement. We _were _just watching a film," he glanced down at Mike and put a finger to his lips, to which Mike grinned and crossed his heart. "Yeah, he's dressed," he looked down at Mike again to see the kid pulling at his pyjamas, biting his lip. "What? No, you don't need to send Donna. We're fine! I can look after - I mean," he quickly changed his words, in case Mike caught another patronising statement, "we can actually survive for one day without you, Harv."

Mike beamed at Nick and ran to his own room, quickly changing his clothes. He was about to tell Nick to remind Harvey that he needed more clean clothes, before realising that - if his counting was right, he would only need this clothes until...

Tomorrow.

He would be normal tomorrow. If the scientist was right, he would be normal in one day.

A shiver of excitement went through his body, mixed with a curious emotion he couldn't quite pinpoint, and so just shook his head. He wasn't going to bring this up until Harvey was.

"Hey, munchkin!" Mike frowned but knew that Nick wasn't doing it to be patronising; he genuinely forgot sometimes that Mike wasn't just a toddler. And the man was actually surprisingly good with kids. Mike decided that only Nick could call him these things and walked back out, fully dressed. "Here he is. Harvey wants a quick word."

Mike reached for the phone and Nick passed him it, giving his hair a small ruffle as he went to no doubt take sneak peaks in Harvey's wardrobe and cupboards. "Hey, Harvey."

"Hey, kid - so, I'm going to be late tonight - "

"You'll be back before I go to bed, right?" Mike asked, before metaphorically kicking himself. Where had _that _come from?

"Yeah, don't worry," and why was Harvey acting as though that was a completely normal thing to ask? "I'll bring take out back, we can watch a movie - you interested?"

"Sure," Mike answered. "What's with the plans?"

"No reason," Harvey replied, though Mike heard some shuffling, as if Harvey was uncomfortable. "I just can't be bothered doing anything. Look, Mike - I need to go; look after Nick for me," Mike snorted, "and behave for him as well, okay? And," his voice went slightly softer for a second, "if you need to talk, I'll leave my cell on, okay? You can call me."

Mike read into that, 'If you start to miss me like you did before, just call'. "Thanks, Harvey," he said, meaning it. "I'll see you tonight."

"See you, kid," Harvey put the phone down, causing Mike to bite his lip, deep in thought.

"Hey, Mikey," he glanced over to where Nick was lounging on Harvey's bed. "I'm bored - what do you say we do a Ferris Bueller and go find something fun to do?"

"I vote we don't trash his car," Mike said, climbing onto the bed to lie back next to Nick.

"Yeah, I don't think I'd ever be able to fully pay that back," Nick muttered. He sat up. "Anywhere fun to go in New York?"

"Uh, I know it's only November, but I think there's an ice skating rink set up somewhere in Central Park," Mike suggested, before suddenly finding himself being hoisted into the air as Nick grabbed him and threw him up slightly.

"Awesome! We used to go ice skating in the Winter as kids," Nick enthused, quickly putting his shoes on after putting Mike on the floor (Who stumbled slightly when it happened). "Quick, grab your jacket!"

"What happened to your hangover?"

"Aspirin, my friend. A lot of aspirin."

* * *

><p>"Why suggest ice skating if you've never been?" Nick asked, after tying the laces of the boots onto both himself and Mike. Mike had stumbled over to the door of the arena and hung back while Nick did a full lap of the ice. When he came back round and found that Mike hadn't made it onto the ice yet, he frowned.<p>

"I thought it would be fun!" Mike told him, gripping onto the wall of the arena with white fingers.

Nick laughed. "It will be! Take my hand!" Nick held out his hand, and Mike slowly reached out and took hold of it. "Okay, step onto the ice slowly," Mike did so, squeaking slightly and grabbing on tightly to Nick's hand with both of his. "Right, just slowly start to move your feet - copy me."

Mike watched Nick's feet with a fierce intensity as they slowly started to skate forwards. He followed the way Nick's feet glided this way and that, and tried to emanate it. "Okay, good," Nick said. "Can we try going a bit faster now? 'Cause at the moment we're being lapped by six year olds."

Nick started to go faster, causing Mike to panic and clutch at Nick's hand, no longer moving his feet and just being dragged along instead. "Mike, you need to move your feet if you don't want to - " Mike suddenly went head first into the ice, " - fall," Nick sighed, finishing his sentence. He scooped Mike up and turned, gliding back to the entrance of the rink. He quickly got onto dry land and set Mike down. "You okay?"

"Mhmm," Mike nodded, clutching his fists and rubbing at his cheek.

"Hey, I know we don't exactly know each other that well yet, but it's okay to cry, you know? Where does it hurt?" Nick asked, trying to remember how he had seen Harvey interacting with the toddler.

"My cheek," the small boy mumbled, his breath coming out in shaky gulps.

"Hey - you can cry if you want, okay?" Nick assured him, perversely pleased when Mike did so. "How bad does it hurt?" Nick asked him, taking him into a hug to calm him.

"Not too bad," Mike answered quietly, snuffling. "I just hit it off the ice."

Nick checked the cheek - there was a patch of red and the start of what looked like a bruise. "Fantastic," Nick sighed. "You realise that Harvey will now kill me? I'll have to leave the country to get away from this. Okay," he stood up, still holding onto Mike. He quickly unlaced the boy's boots and took them off, switching them for normal shoes. "This time, just hold on, okay?"

Mike looked at him, confused, before being lifted all the way up onto Nick's shoulders. "What are you doing?" He asked quickly, as Nick stepped onto the ice.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled. "I may not have had as much practice at this as Harvey did, but we had smaller cousins - I've done this loads of times. Ready?" Mike shook his head and hid his face in Nick's hair. He felt them gaining speed and his eyes widened as he glanced up from Nick's hair to see that they were going at quite some speed. He clutched onto the man's head ferociously and watched as Nick effortlessly glided around people, keeping a steady grip on Mike's legs as the small boy felt slightly less afraid the more times they went round the rink.

He heard Nick's phone start to ring and whimpered as Nick took one hand off Mike's leg to answer it. "Y'ello? Hey, big brother! What? No, it's hard to hear you - we decided to go check out the ice rink in Central Park. What? Yeah, I'm skating now! Mike? He's fine. Yeah, he's on my shoulders - " Nick had to pull the phone away from his ear as Harvey started to yell down the phone. "Hey, it's for the greater good! He fell over before, so - " Again, Harvey started ranting at him. "Jeeze - you used to do it to me all the time! What do you - woah, hold up, Harv. Did you just say what I think you just said?" Nick laughed and slowed down, skating slowly over to the entrance and allowing Mike to get off his back shakily (He _had _enjoyed it, no matter how much he protested).

"What's he saying?" Mike asked curiously.

"Don't deny it, Harvey! I heard you!" Nick said gleefully. "'_You are not to have my son on your shoulders when you're skating_'," he said in a mocking, gruff tone of Harvey's voice. Mike's eyes went wide at this. "Well yeah, I'm _sure_ it was just a slip of the tongue," Nick chuckled. "Don't worry, we're on normal land now. What? Yeah, I thought after this we could go juggle crocodiles or eat bees - Harvey, give me a _bit _of credit," Nick laughed.

Mike pulled on his sleeve. "Can I talk to him?" He asked softly.

For once, Nick looked guilty but nodded, passing the phone down mid rant, so Mike caught all of the colourful names Harvey was calling his brother. "Harvey, it's me," Mike interrupted.

The breathing down the other end paused, before: "_Are you okay?_"

"I'm fine. I had fun," Mike grinned at Nick, who beamed slightly in reply. "Uh, Harvey - about what you said..."

"_Can we talk about this tonight, Mike?_" Harvey asked in a low voice.

"Okay," Mike blinked at the serious tone.

"_Don't forget to look after Nick for me_," Harvey said, in an attempt at bringing some cheerfulness back into the conversation.

It did bring a small chuckle from Mike. "I won't - see you tonight, Harvey."

Nick blew out his breath. "Remind me to never do anything with you again."

"When I'm normal we should go out for drinks," Mike told him, grinning.

"Oh, hell yeah."

* * *

><p>"We probably shouldn't do anything else," Nick said as they wandered aimlessly around the park.<p>

"You're right," Mike agreed. "Harvey's already going to go mad when he sees my cheek," the bruise had gotten larger and it was definitely hard to ignore.

"Mike, I am _so _sorry about that," Nick said genuinely.

"Don't be," Mike replied lightly. "It was my fault - I said we should go, and I didn't tell you I'd never been before."

"Yeah, that was kind of idiotic," Nick grumbled without heat. "I say we relax until Harvey gets back - for once I won't have to lie to him about what I've been doing."

"Or we could go to the firm!" Mike suggested eagerly. When Nick looked at him doubtfully, he explained: "We could maybe persuade Harvey to come back early. Then you can do... whatever you do in your free time, and I could sleep - "

"Sleep? Dude, it's only half past 2; even the hungover one isn't tired yet!"

"Didn't Harvey leave you any instructions?" Mike asked him half sarcastically. "Something along the lines of - 'make him nap or he'll become overly-irritable and attempt to disembowel you where you stand'?"

Nick gulped slightly. "Now that you mention it, I think he did mention something along those lines... Uh, yeah - lack of disembowelment is appealing to me. Come on, we'll get a cab."

He stood on the edge of the side walk, making sure Mike stood further back than he was (One injury a day was already too many). He hailed a cab and grabbed Mike, making sure he was strapped down before giving the address of the firm.

They sat in silence - well, Mike did, Nick started ranting about something and ended up having the driver agree with him. Mike couldn't stop thinking about Harvey's 'slip of the tongue'. It must have just been the countless hours spent making sure the small boy didn't die, and the times when strangers made the assumption that he was Harvey's son. He hated himself for liking the assumption. It had only just been these 2 weeks, when he was like this, that he had liked it.

It could have been that he found himself missing his parents now. He hadn't told anyone this - especially not Harvey. But his want of some sort of parental affection had probably showed in some form or another, and now Harvey was just trying to make it easier on him until he was normal.

Or, he was just being incredibly philosophical about everything and it had genuinely been a slip of the tongue.

"Mike, we're here," he felt a nudge on his arm which made him gather that he had been zoned out a while and this was not the first time Nick had called his name. This led to Nick hoisting him onto his hip and carrying him inside the firm, under the impression that Mike was tired. It was true - he was, but he didn't need carrying. Before he could voice this, they were stopped at security.

"Do you have an appointment?" The man asked. Mike looked at him and realised the guy must be new - he'd never seen him before. He looked up at Nick uneasily, not sure how they were going to get in.

"Did Mr Specter not tell you we were coming?" Nick asked, with what appeared to be genuine surprise in his voice and on his features.

"I wasn't told Mr Specter had any visitors arriving today," the guard said, frowning.

"Huh," Nick said, jumping Mike up his hip slightly. "I don't see how he could have forgotten - I'm his... babysitter. Well, I say his. I'm his son's babysitter. He really didn't tell you we were coming?" Mike rested his cheek in the crook of Nick's neck, apparently giving Nick an idea. "Look, can we please just go up? The kid wants his dad, and I won't be paid if I get in there late with a screaming kid."

Mike took this as his cue and started to sniffle pathetically, rubbing at his eyes. The tiredness did in fact help, but trying to cry was bringing on a headache. Which in itself was frustrating. And the fact that the guard wouldn't let them up was adding to this.

"I'll check with Mr Specter," the guard said, going for a phone and a book with lists of all the partner's numbers in it.

"Dude, he's going to think I tried to kill his kid if he hears the little guy crying on the other end. Look, can I just quickly get by and calm him down before we see Harvey? Or do you want to call him down here and explain that you're the reason he has to come and find his pride and joy sobbing because he wasn't allowed to go see his dad?"

The guard was torn between doing his job, and wanting rid of the crying child in the lobby. And a queue was starting to form. "Okay, just - just don't tell him I gave you any trouble."

Nick smiled at him, making sure he looked somewhat relieved. "Thanks, man," he quickly went to the elevators and pressed a button, jogging Mike up and down slightly. "Good work, team," he grinned at Mike, who was gulping in an attempt to stop crying. "You could do so much with crying on demand," Nick said wistfully. "I bet not even Donna could stay mad at you," Mike gave a watery chuckle and buried his face in Nick's neck in a bid to stop. "Hey, you okay?" Nick said, now slightly alarmed. "Did I do something?"

"No, it just sometimes takes a while to stop when I've started," Mike said, sniffing.

"You mean you've done that before?" Nick asked, impressed.

"Well, I can't use it when I'm normal to get out of trouble with Harvey," Mike said with a sly grin on his face. "I need to make the most out of it now."

Nick laughed. "I'm impressed! And how much were you going to pay me to not tell Harvey that?"

"Not tell Harvey what?" Thankfully, it was a woman's voice, not a man's, and Nick glanced up, realising they'd walked to Donna's desk without even noticing.

"That, uh... Mike had an accident!" Nick said hurriedly, thrusting the small child over the desk and plonking him down in the red head's lap.

"Oh, sweetie," Donna said comfortingly. "It's okay - come on, I'll - "

"What? No, I didn't!" Mike glared at Nick. "He just doesn't want to tell you that I haven't had a nap yet today."

"Traitor," Nick hissed.

"Weren't you told by Harvey to make him have one?" Donna asked Nick scathingly, standing up whilst holding Mike securely.

"You know Harvey - he told me lots of things, I couldn't keep track of them all," Nick said, trying to get out of it by smiling at her bashfully.

She simply shook her head. "What are you two doing here anyway?" She asked, taking them both to Harvey's office and settling Mike down on the couch.

"Got bored," Nick shrugged. "We went skating for a while. But then Harvey had a panic attack so we decided to stop."

Donna chuckled as she started running her fingers through Mike's hair to get him to sleep. "I heard. Actually I think the whole firm heard."

"You hear his 'slip of the tongue'?" Nick asked smirking. To his surprise, Donna glanced up and frowned.

"Yes. And don't you dare tease him about it, Nicholas Specter, or I swear your life won't be worth living," she kept her voice hushed, glancing down every so often to check how close Mike was to sleep. It hadn't taken long for him to drop off and Donna ushered Nick back outside, closing the door quietly. "You are one of 4 people who can say they know Harvey well," Donna told him seriously. "Harvey never has 'slips of the tongue' - he can accidentally say what he's thinking occasionally. Do you really think it will go well if you tease him about accidentally saying 'my son'?"

Nick shuffled uncomfortably. "Sorry, Donna," he said in a low voice. Unlike his brother he had no problems apologising. However, he was like his brother in that - if it mattered and he knew that he was in the wrong, it physically pained him to do so.

She nodded. "Now what's the real reason you've come?"

"Mike suggested it," Nick shrugged. "And he was getting tired. I know enough about kids that I don't want to be around them when they're tired. And we thought maybe it would convince Harvey to get a move on. As much as I like the kid, I was hoping to get back home today, you know?"

Donna smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, Harvey won't be long. He was hoping to spend most of today at home anyway."

"Why?" Nick's face suddenly grew an impish grin. "Did he have a bit more wine last night than he was letting on?"

Donna shook her head and moved closer to him to speak quietly. "Mike should be back to normal tomorrow," she told him.

Nick looked back into Harvey's office at the small boy who was now sucking his thumb and had curled up, pulling Harvey's spare jacket off the back of the couch, pulling it around himself. He gave a small laugh and looked back at Donna. "So my brother's feeling a bit parental? Huh - never thought that would happen."

Donna allowed him a smile. "You didn't hear it from me. And if you have any self preserving instincts you might want to run."

"What?" Nick asked, before getting hit in the back of the head. He turned to see Harvey stood in front of him. "Harv! I was just, uh..." Nick wasn't sure what to say.

"Have I ever told you that you're possibly the world's worst babysitter?" Harvey asked him, giving Donna some paperwork. "Speaking of which..."

"He's on your couch, sleeping," Nick said quickly. "And I'm not the _worst _babysitter ever - do I need to tell Donna what _you_ once did to me when I was ill?" Harvey quickly clapped a hand to his brother's shoulder and steered him away from the smirking assistant.

"How was your day, dear?" Nick asked him with a grin. Harvey rolled his eyes but found he didn't have the heart to hit his younger brother again.

"Fine. How was yours?"

"Interesting. I got yelled at by my big brother for having fun."

"Nothing changes."

"Apart from him," Nick said, cocking his head to the sleeping boy who was now chewing on Harvey's suit jacket. "Donna told me. He's normal tomorrow?"

"Hopefully," Harvey said quietly. Nick nodded and; in a rare form of subtly, didn't say anything else.

"Harvey, are you prepared to stay longer to help us with Victor?" Jessica asked him, walking towards the pair. Harvey gave a sigh and turned towards her.

"Jess, my brother's leaving now and Donna's busy - I need to take Mike back home."

She eyed him warily. "And there's no way you brother can stay another few hours?"

"No way at all," Nick said helpfully, smiling at her.

Jessica knew exactly what was happening but nodded. "Okay. I'll tell Victor you had leave for a family emergency. It's tomorrow he's normal again, isn't it?" She asked. Harvey nodded. "Am I expecting to see either of you tomorrow?"

"It depends," Harvey told her. "I'll probably drag the kid's ass in for a few hours of work to see how he is."

Both Jessica and Donna were processing this in different ways, thinking hard about different subtexts and meanings. Nick simply smirked and clapped a hand on Harvey's shoulder. "Well, big bro, it's been good - I'll see you at Christmas; say bye to Mike for me," he grinned at Harvey.

"Bye, Nicky," the two men exchanged a quick, yet warm hug and Nick doffed an imaginary hat to Jessica, kissed Donna's hand and departed.

"Harvey," Donna said just as he left. She pointed to his office. Mike was awake, rubbing at his eyes and clutching the jacket to him, rubbing at his nose with it and also no doubt getting drool on it as well.

"Oh God," he muttered, and both women watched as he walked into the office. At first he was attacked slightly as Mike leapt up and threw his arms around his neck, then the small boy deftly threw the jacket behind the couch, and finally - Harvey noticed the small bruise on his cheek.

All Donna could think as Mike was placed in her arms was that she hoped Nick had managed to summon a cab by that point.

* * *

><p>"You didn't have a very long nap," Harvey told him in a soft voice as they entered his condo. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep some more?"<p>

"No, I'm good," he replied, adamant that he was going to spend as much time as possible with Harvey like this. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to, but he definitely didn't want to give up the admittedly comfortable position he was sat in on Harvey's lap.

"Mike," Harvey said in a serious voice as they sat on the couch, Mike unashamedly resting his head against Harvey's chest, his back being supported by one of Harvey's arms as the other hand rested on Mike's legs casually.

"Yeah?" He said, hearing the blood pumping through his ears as he started to get nervous about what he was sure would be a serious conversation.

"You know you're changing back tomorrow," Harvey said cautiously.

"Yeah," Mike repeated, trying to make himself sound more excited. It wasn't that he didn't want to change back - he just found that right now he quite liked spending time with Harvey...

"Are you going back into work?" Harvey asked, trying hard to sound as casual as possible.

"Uh, I don't know - it depends if nothing bad happens when I change, doesn't it? I'll be biking in, so - "

"You're not biking in!" Harvey said, sounding surprised. "Jesus, Mike - what were you expecting? You thought I would just drop you off at your apartment tonight and tell you off for being late in the morning?" The lack of an answer confirmed his suspicion. "Mike," he said softly. "You really think that little of me? That I've just been taking care of you these past two weeks because otherwise you'd die?"

"Uh, well... Yeah," Mike answered, starting to chew his thumb, trying not to smile as Harvey took it out of his mouth.

"At first it was mainly to stop Donna from being angry, but... dammit, you know I'm not good with this! With... emotions and things."

"You don't have any emotions, so it's fine," Mike smirked. He gave a small yawn and put his thumb back in his mouth. "Besides - whatever you think, you're not as hard to read as you want. I know what you think. And how you feel."

"Is that a fact?" Harvey asked, humouring him, rubbing his back as he gave another yawn and snuggled into Harvey.

"Yeah. It's okay. I know you started to like having me around. And you didn't want anything bad to happen to me. I sometimes even get why you put me in time-out."

Harvey gave a small laugh. "To get you out of my way?"

"To teach me things. Like a mentor and - sorry, Harvey, but you've been acting like a dad."

Harvey swallowed slightly before pasting on a fake smile. "Are you sure? You didn't mistake annoyance for some sort of paternal affection?"

Mike snorted. "I'm sure. Even _you _can't convince me otherwise. And it's... Now I'm like this, I..."

"What?" Harvey persuaded him to speak, still rubbing his back.

"I miss my parents," Mike told him quietly, his voice wavering and his lip wobbling. "I mean, I always do - but not _that _much 'cause I've come to terms with it, but now - every night I'm expecting them to come in and say goodnight, and then I remember they won't be, and - and..."

"And?" Harvey prompted.

"I miss my dad!" Mike wailed, burying his face in Harvey' neck and sobbing into his shirt. He vaguely felt the man quickly move and hold him in a more comfortable position and wondered why he was telling Harvey this _now_.

"It's okay to miss a loved one, Mike," Harvey said softly, patting his back and wincing as he heard Mike's strangled sobs. Mike nodded slightly but kept crying. "It's alright," Harvey told him.

"I'm sorry," Mike whimpered.

"It's fine - you have nothing to apologise for," Harvey told him seriously. Mike resumed his crying, causing Harvey to sigh and stand up, bouncing Mike up and down slightly in his arms. "It's alright, Mikey," he said quietly, rubbing Mike's back. "It's alright."

He kept this up for nearly ten minutes before Mike finally calmed down. "Felt you had to get that out of your system before tomorrow?" Harvey semi-joked.

Mike sniffed. "I knew you'd make fun of me otherwise. Right now I'm too adorable for you to do anything else but hug me."

Harvey chuckled before becoming serious once again. "I wouldn't make fun of you," he told Mike. "Not over that. Look - the only thing I really wanted to tell you tonight was... when... tomorrow, I..."

"While we're young, Harvey," Mike said cheekily, rubbing at his eyes to get rid of any tears. "So, in the next few hours..."

"You can still talk to me, you know," Harvey said quickly, putting it out there. "About... anything. I'll listen."

"Even if I have a nightmare?" Mike asked, snorting.

"Even then," Harvey replied seriously. "I just... I want you to know that. Okay? Obviously things are going to change. But if you need to - you can always come here. Got it?"

Mike nodded, putting his thumb back in his mouth. "And I'm determined to break that habit," Harvey said in a mock serious tone. He went to take it out of Mike's mouth again but the little boy kept it in stubbornly, shaking his head and wriggling away yet still staying on Harvey's lap.

"I'm comfy," he whined. "It's the last time I'll get to do this, so I'm doing it."

With that he sucked it extra loudly for a second to annoy Harvey and closed his eyes, snuggling in for warmth. Harvey simply snorted and put his arms around the small boy. "I hope it's the last time," he said softly. "But like I said - you need me, kid... I'm here."

* * *

><p>The night passed surprisingly quickly and normally for both of them. They watched a movie and ate take out, with Mike remarking that it was basically just like a work night in Harvey's office. Harvey noticed the time and; loathe as he was to do it (not that he'd admit that to himself), decided Mike should go to bed soon.<p>

"Come on, Mike - you're only delaying the inevitable!" Harvey told him, as Mike slowly pulled his pyjamas on.

"What if I wake up and haven't changed?" Mike asked.

"Then we still have the rest of the day for it to happen," Harvey told him, even though his heart beat a bit too quickly as Mike voiced the possibility.

"What if it never happens?"

A beat.

"We'll cross that bridge _if _we come to it. Okay? Now - bed time."

"I want to sleep in _your _bed!" Mike whined, trying to get out of the bed that Harvey had just tucked him into. Harvey rolled his eyes but conceded - knowing it was the last time that the small, cuddly, warm, affectionate child would snuggle up to him.

Dammit, he knew he was going soft, but this was just ridiculous!

"Okay - goodnight, kid. See you in the morning."

"Yup," Mike said quietly, pulling the duvet around him. It was in that moment that Harvey made a completely out of character move and bent forward, smoothing down some of Mike's hair and kissing his forehead.

"Night-night," Mike whispered, giving Harvey a quick squeeze around the neck with his arms before snuggling under the covers.

* * *

><p><em>To you, everything's funny. You've got nothing to regret. I'd give all I have, honey, if you could stay like that - oh, darlin' don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up - just stay this little. Oh, darlin' don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up - it could stay this simple... I won't let nobody hurt you - won't let no one break your heart... and no one will desert you... just try to never grow up...<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, I went there.<strong>

**So, Taylor Swift's 'Never Grow Up' is used - and will be used again in the next (And final!) chapter. If you've lasted this long then god bless you; and please review :) The next chapter will be the last chapter but I'm excited about it which means you should be as well :) If there's any spelling errors or anything I deeply apologise; my hands are like ice at the moment so they're all stiff and sore XD **


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for the reviews guys, I'm really glad my story has gotten such a good reaction from you lovely lot :) To those of you who had frequently reviewed - thank you so much; also you lot who had favourited, alerted or just plain read my fic :)**

**So, here we have the last chapter :( I'm so sad to see this story go, although it leaves room for more fics because I'll have more time - so don't complain ;) Just want to make a quick special thanks to my beloved e-spouse, _signofthetimes _who has cooed appropriately over mini!Mike and offered me advice and threatened me to write more chapters XD**

**Also, YES - this is an incredibly long chapter; it's more like snippets of things that happen, rather than an actual timeline; well there's a bit of timeline... You'll see, it's complicated XD **

* * *

><p>Harvey rolled over in his bed, hearing himself groan slightly. He hadn't had a very good sleep and had been tossing and turning all night. Every time though, he found himself moving slightly next to Mike - checking him. And every time he found himself giving a small sigh of relief in that Mike was still small.<p>

Now though - he could still feel Mike - his head butting into Harvey's chest. But Harvey wasn't sure he wanted to open his eyes. What if Mike hadn't changed back?

Or was he worried in case he had?

_This is silly_, he grumbled to himself, still refusing to open his eyes. He decided to turn, slowly moving away from Mike and hearing him curl up as he stepped out of bed. He didn't want to turn around; his heart was hammering...

He decided to have a shower. Then when he came out of the bathroom he would know for certain - he wasn't the type of man who would walk backwards out of his own bathroom.

Trying not to think of people who would actually do that, Harvey closed his eyes before quickly entering the bathroom and shutting and locking the door before he safely turned around. All that stared back was a plain white door, with a towel hung neatly off a hook. Harvey heard a small thud from his room and hastily turned his shower on; still not wanting to hear a childish yelp or a manly yell.

Although, with Mike, Harvey thought, smirking - was there a difference?

He took his time in the shower, realising horribly that the agonising wait was what he remembered his father experiencing when they were both in a waiting room in hospital, as his mother game birth to Nick. As well as praying that both mother and baby would be fine, his father was also incredibly nervous and excited to find out the sex of the child.

He really hoped he wasn't acting like an anxious father.

Another thud echoed from his bedroom and he closed his eyes, washing shampoo out of his hair. He knew that if he put it off any longer he may just explode, and so got out of the shower and quickly dried himself, putting on casual clothes. He took a breath and then unlocked his bathroom door, opening it cautiously.

"Mike," he said slowly, not quite sure what was happening. "Why are you on the floor?"

A very embarrassed but also very much adult Mike looked up at him from his position on the floor, one leg going underneath the bed whilst the other stayed pressed against the side of the bed. "Uh..." He coughed and tried again. "My legs," another cough - Harvey tried not to smirk as Mike's voice kept breaking. "They're a lot longer than I realised."

Harvey gave a small snort but offered his hand, pulling Mike to his feet. "Wow," Mike said, reeling slightly. "I'm not used to this," Harvey quickly grabbed hold of him lest he fall backwards before realising Mike was very much naked. Apparently he had outgrown his pyjamas - which Harvey now saw were in tatters on his bed (He also realised that Donna would be happy that they weren't the childish ones; merely the green ones).

"Sit down for a second," Harvey instructed, making him slowly sit on the bed. Mike rubbed at his knees before only just realising for himself that he was naked. He grabbed the pillow he had been mainly using for the past two weeks and quickly covered his modesty; remembering that Harvey had bathed him countless times and had even put him in pull-ups - but at this moment in time that seemed just too embarrassing to comprehend.

"Here, put these on," Harvey said to him, throwing him some boxers and old sweatpants, followed by a grey long sleeved top that Harvey seldom wore now. Mike nodded and began the arduous task. Harvey left the room to give the kid some privacy - he found himself straightening the cover of Mike's bed and had to practically pull himself out of the office-turned-bedroom.

"Uh, Harvey?" Harvey quickly left the room to see what Mike wanted. The kid was now fully dressed and was sat on Harvey's bed again. "Um... I need a bit of help with, uh... Well, walking," he admitted, looking down and sighing. "Would've been easier if I hadn't changed."

Harvey pretended he hadn't heard that. "It'll wear off soon. You're just not used to it."

"Tell me about it," Mike huffed, managing to pull himself into a standing position. He batted his eyes at Harvey. "Carry me?"

Harvey snorted. "You just became about 20 years too old to carry."

"Okay. So... _next _time I become a toddler..."

"Next time you become a toddler I may have to beat you to death to stop this happening all over again," Harvey told him, a smirk on his face to show he wasn't serious. However, Mike lowered his head, his shoulders moving slightly as Harvey heard small sniffs.

He instinctively went to Mike's side - he was still very much in tune with the kid and even though he was no longer technically a kid... he still was. He put a hand on Mike's shoulder - and just as he was thinking it would be a lot easier to do this if Mike could simply crawl onto his lap again - the trembles increased.

"Sorry, Mike," Harvey said softly, feeling Mike lay his head down on his shoulder. Harvey started carding his hand through the now dark blonde hair. "It's just going to take a while to get used to this again," he was still slowly folding Mike's hair over through his hands when he heard the sniffs taper off into snorts. He looked down to see that - far from tears - Mike was laughing.

"Oh man - I'm sorry, Harvey... I just wanted to see what you'd do," he chuckled and looked at Harvey apologetically. The older man noticed that Mike had yet to move his head off his shoulder.

"You know what happened to the boy who cried wolf?" Harvey asked him, removing his hand from Mike's hair.

"He was eaten?" Mike answered.

"Yeah - so I'd watch out for the monsters under that bed of yours if I were you," Harvey told him with a small smirk. He saw Mike's eyes widen slightly and bit back a chuckle. "Come on, kid - breakfast before we do anything, okay?"

Mike nodded silently and cautiously took a step forward. He kept tripping over his own feet, apparently not used to the length they were from the ground. After nearly falling flat on his face he grabbed hold of Harvey's sleeve. "You know, if there will at any point be the offer of carrying, I would happily accept," Mike told him as they slowly made their way over to the table.

"Okay, as much as I go to the gym, I can't carry you any more," Harvey replied. Mike pouted and Harvey rolled his eyes, waiting for the kid to sit down before he grabbed the usual bowl and poured cereal into it, followed milk. It was only when he placed it in front of Mike he realised that he'd used the bowl Donna had bought them (Blue with puppies round the rim; not unlike his bedspread) and also given Mike Lucky Charms. Mike started to eat it, however, apparently not noticing as it had become routine for two weeks. He had only taken two mouthfuls before declaring himself full.

"Nice try, kid. Eat," Harvey glared at him menacingly until Mike took one more hesitant bite.

"Harvey, I'm full!" He whined, which would have sounded strange coming from his mouth had it not been for the fact that his voice kept breaking.

"Three more bites," Harvey told him, standing at the kitchen counter holding some coffee.

Mike glared at him but slowly ate three more spoonfuls, swallowing with an almost herculean effort and looked over at Harvey. The older man gave him a small smile and walked past him to sit on the couch. "Good boy," he said, ruffling Mike's hair slightly. It was only when he sat down on the couch that what he'd done had sunk in. Would he ever get out of the habit of doing things like that? He doubted it. He chanced a small glance over to Mike but found that it had barely registered, and instead the kid was getting up.

"You okay with walking now?" Harvey asked, putting on the sports channel of his TV and keeping his focus on that, only glancing around as he heard footsteps padding behind him.

"Yeah, I'm good," Mike told him, wobbling a few times and looking very much like bambi on ice. He went into the 'guest bedroom' and Harvey turned his gaze back to the TV - he should have time to watch a bit of this game; as long as the kid just played quietly and -

And he'd just done it again, growling at himself as he realised the mistake he'd made. Mike was a grown man once more - if he had ever been one - he didn't need Harvey to keep an eye on him and he certainly didn't need to 'play'.

However, as the minutes ticked by and the condo remained silent save for the noise from the TV, Harvey felt slight growing concern. You can't have looked after a small child for two weeks and not grown to feel worry if you couldn't hear them after 10 seconds. He tried so hard to turn his attention back to the football game, but found he kept glancing over to the mostly shut door of the room. What was Mike doing? Was he okay? Would he -

The door opened, and Mike came out. Harvey tried to focus once more on the game - he'd already missed one touchdown and so didn't notice what Mike was holding until the kid sat down beside him.

Harvey was slightly concerned that he _felt _concern that Mike hadn't tried to climb onto his knee - was he ill? But then if he wasn't feeling well he was always clingy, and - no. Stop. Normal Mike now. But as he looked all he saw was a small child clutching a sea lion. Well, more like squeezing it to death with a hug.

"You're acting as if it's your last day with it," Harvey said casually.

"What?" Mike asked, frowning. Harvey cocked his head over to the toy and Mike blushed, but didn't remove it from his grasp. "I... it's going to sound... well - I just..."

"Any time today would be good," Harvey drawled, rolling his eyes but still keeping them fixed on Mike.

"I used to just come in here and climb onto this couch and just... you know... get on your lap," Mike kept his focus on his lap. "And obviously I can't really do that and this... I kind of _need _affection, alright?" Mike spat, still squeezing the sea lion. "I'm used to having a hug or... or you know, a pat on the back, so now I have to... I have to hug this instead."

Harvey surveyed Mike for a second before making up his mind. Heck, if _he _was having trouble trying to acclimatise then Mike would have to be going through it a hundred times over.

Mike was still looking down at the sea lion when he felt a pressure on his shoulder. He looked over to see that Harvey had put his hand there. "Mike - I know how much trouble you'll have adapting to this. You need something; just tell me. Or if it's something like this - just do it. I... I won't pull away, kid."

Mike glanced in his eyes and remembered the hundreds of times in the past two weeks when Harvey had given him some form of comfort; it wouldn't be awkward. It would be nice. Right now he was craving the affection so badly that he felt like he was going to cry. So he shuffled down the couch slightly, letting his head rest on Harvey's shoulder. As the older man moved his arm to go round Mike's shoulders, the associate pulled his own arm around Harvey's stomach, initiating a sideways hug. He was still holding on to Harvey the sea lion with his other arm, letting it get squashed between their two bodies.

As Harvey's hand came up yet again to sweep through his hair, Mike felt a shudder of relief sweep through him and closed his eyes lazily, finding himself slowly sliding down, ending up resting his head on Harvey's lap. He switched the sea lion over so that he was holding it in the arm facing outwards and resisted the strong urge to put the thumb of that hand in his mouth.

Instead, he just enjoyed the calm, comforting feeling of having Harvey running his fingers through his hair.

"You know we can't exactly do this at the office," Harvey told him in a soft voice. "If you still need this; we need to find some way to do it so you're not... freaking out at the office."

"Wouldn't freak out," Mike mumbled, literally dragging his thumb away before it would reach his mouth. He really wanted the extra comfort - it all felt so familiar; resting on the couch with Harvey - he didn't want to say 'snuggling' but that was essentially what was happening.

"Of course you wouldn't," Harvey humoured him. He took hold of the thumb that Mike was trying _so hard _not to suck. "And _this _doesn't belong in your mouth."

"Which is why it's not in my mouth," Mike informed him, not pulling away as Harvey kept a hold of the hand.

"It nearly is. Do we need to get you a pacifier to stop you from sucking it?" Harvey asked teasingly, not surprised when Mike let out an unamused huff. Harvey glanced at the clock. "Come on," he said, letting Mike slowly roll off him. "You stay there any longer and you'll fall asleep. And nap time's not till 2."

"I don't need nap time any more," Mike said, rubbing at his eyes. His fists were bunched up in the sleeves of his top and Harvey gave a small snort in response.

"Sure," he was amazed at how childish Mike could actually look. He knew he was physically bigger than Mike, but not by that much; still, the overgrown top and pants made him look as though he was dressing up in his older brother's clothes.

Harvey got up from the couch, letting Mike stay sitting down, clutching the sea lion. He took the toy out of the blonde's hands, ignoring the small whine of protest before swapping it for a cushion. "How's that?" Harvey asked.

Mike shot him a confused look but squeezed the cushion experimentally. "Uh... Yeah, it's..." He rested his face on it for a second, thinking. It smelt of Harvey. Of protection and safety and warmth. It smelt of the past 2 weeks. "Can I keep this?" He asked, a little unsure smile on his face.

"I'll put it on the couch in my office," Harvey told him, finishing his now cold coffee and pulling a face. "I need better coffee."

"I'll buy you a coffee machine," Mike muttered, still resting his face on the cushion as he was thinking.

"Yeah - you can't buy food but you can still afford to be me a decent coffee machine. I'll pass," Harvey told him, as Mike shrugged. "Anyway, the best coffee is made by hand, not by a machine."

"Why don't you just ask Donna to come live with you? Then she can make it," Mike said, lying back down on the sofa, clutching the cushion to his stomach.

"She doesn't appreciate limitations being placed on her prowess as coffee-maker."

"Really? She told Ray it was on her beauty," Mike said, letting his eyes close as he pulled the cushion closer to his face.

"She's multi-talented," Harvey replied, walking over and plucking the cushion from Mike's grasp.

"Hey!" The associate sat up unhappily.

"What? I have things to do today - I can't have an associate who's cranky because he didn't nap on time."

"Okay, that actually sounded kind of serious," Mike said warily, watching Harvey put the cushion back down on the couch, but made no move to take it again.

"You're used to sleeping to a schedule; most of the time. You need to adapt. I need you alert to do work - so you sleep when I tell you to."

"Yes, mien fuhrer," Mike scowled at Harvey. "Has it occurred to you that I'll be in my own apartment? I'm a big boy now, daddy," he said mockingly, trying to forget Harvey's slip up the day before, whilst Harvey tried to forget _Mike's _slip up when he had been ill.

"You're just _asking _for a time-out, aren't you?" Harvey said, crossing his arms and leaning against a counter.

To his surprise, Mike stopped his small, joking smile and frowned, unhappiness evident on his features. "I don't want a time-out," he mumbled, casting his gaze downwards. Harvey tilted his head slightly in confusion. Was Mike honestly still intimidated by time-outs? Harvey knew he hadn't liked them as a toddler and also knew how effective they had been. He gave a small smirk as he realised he now had the perfect weapon if Mike didn't want to do something.

"Donna's probably going to come round at some point today," Harvey informed him, deciding to leave the topic alone for the time being. "I'm surprised she hasn't already been round."

"What?" Mike asked, standing up now. "Aren't we going to work?" Harvey gave him a look. "What? Harvey, I can work! I'm fine to work; or... at the very least I can proof briefs for you."

"You must be desperate to do work if you want to proof things," Harvey muttered. "We might go into work tomorrow. But today, the only thing you need to do is get used to being normal again."

"I'm _fine_," Mike insisted.

* * *

><p>At exactly 2:10pm, Mike fell asleep on the couch, clutching the cushion to him and burying his face in it. Harvey had seen him do that a few times before and wondered what the attraction was to the smell of it. He carefully moved Mike's feet onto the couch and put another cushion underneath his head. The kid had slowly become more tired as the day went on, and as for now Harvey had no idea how exactly to wean him off naps - they always had their busiest or trickiest meetings in the afternoon, and he couldn't exactly cancel because his associate was napping.<p>

Mike had insisted he was completely fine again, and had started watching a baseball game on Harvey's TV. Although when Harvey had left to sort his laundry he had come back to see that Mike had 'accidentally' sat on the remote and turned it over to a movie - it wasn't a kid's film (Harvey would have had to throw the TV out the window if it had been) but it _wasn't _what Harvey had been watching. He had been about to say something when he noticed Mike slowly start to slip down the couch as the film progressed and Harvey automatically checked his watch. Nap-time.

He had just pulled a blanket over the sleeping associate (It was cold in his apartment, he reassured himself lamely) when there was knocking on his door. He quickly opened it to have a whirlwind of red hair brush past him.

"Well?" Donna asked excitedly. "Is he normal? What's - "

"Donna, inside voice," Harvey told her quietly, moving his hands in the universal sign of 'be quieter'. She frowned, confused. "Nap-time," Harvey informed her, his voice barely above a whisper. At her gasp, he quickly motioned her over to the couch. She went to the front of it and a small, affectionate smile lit up her face.

"Aw, he's still as cute as ever," she cooed, gently smoothing down his hair as he nuzzled into the cushion more.

Harvey snorted. "I'm sure he'd have something to say to you about that," he told her.

"Oh, have we reached the 'I'm a big boy now' stage?" She asked, laughing slightly.

"Yup," Harvey answered. "And I'm sure at some point we'll also reach the angsty teenager stage as well."

"Did he ever reach it in the first place?" She joked, standing from where she had originally been crouching. "So, what's the plan?"

Harvey blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair. "Work tomorrow - he's been begging to work all this morning."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Donna asked him as they moved away from the couch to stand in the kitchen. "I mean; how's he acting? Should I keep some juice boxes for him? Should we keep some books for him in case he gets bored? What if he refused to let go of his teddy? My nephew refused to give his away and my sister had to pretend to lose it - and he was 14!"

"Donna, I think you need to slow down a bit," Harvey told her. "Like he told me, he's a big boy now. Just treat him like normal."

"But it's so hard," she sighed. "Admittedly I've been trying to treat him like normal for the past 2 weeks, but it was... easier to treat him like a toddler. You know?" Harvey knew there was no point trying to hide his feelings from Donna, and just nodded, looking back at the couch.

"But I'm glad he's normal," she said firmly. "I've missed him."

Harvey nodded again in agreement. He _had _missed Mike. And he needed his associate back to wipe that smirk from Louis' face. "How long will he stay with you for?" She asked him. Harvey gave her an incredulous look. "Don't pull that face to me, Harvey Specter - I know you're going to keep him captive for a while longer. Look at him - who would insist on nap time if he didn't live here?" She smirked smugly as Harvey shook his head, sighing.

"So, shall I arrange for any of your meetings to be on tomorrow?" She asked him, apparently having come over for the sole purpose of making sure Mike wasn't dead.

"Maybe one," Harvey told her, glancing once more at the couch. "And make it either in the morning or late afternoon."

"Well, we don't want to interfere with kiddo's nap time," she winked at him. "I've heard his dad doesn't like it if he gets cranky."

"I'm assuming you know where the door is, Donna," Harvey dead panned, trying to keep the humour off his face.

"See you tomorrow, Harvey," she smiled at him and left.

* * *

><p>The rest of the afternoon passed quickly - Harvey forever slipped up and ruffled Mike's hair whenever he did something praiseworthy - even going so far as to do it when Mike ate his dinner without complaint. Who knew that adult Mike actually really liked the taste of vegetables?<p>

As soon as Mike started yawning, Harvey stood up. "Bedtime, kid."

"What?" Mike looked up at him with wide eyes. "Harvey; is this going to be a continuing trend? 'Cause for the last time - "

"I know, you're a big boy now," Harvey said, rolling his eyes. "Just humour me and get ready, okay? If you want me to even consider going into work tomorrow, you have to show me you're willing to do what I say."

Mike sighed but got up. His coordination had gotten substantially better throughout the course of the day and he now looked more like his old self than ever. His and Harvey's banter had gotten slightly more normal during the day and he found that if he tried, he could get all signs of whining or whimpering out of his voice.

"Uh, I don't have anything to sleep in," Mike told him as he was halfway to the office room. Harvey thought for a second before getting up and walking to his room. He grabbed a spare pair of his pyjamas and threw them to Mike. The younger man looked back at him, frowning. "Silk pyjamas? Really?" He quickly went into the room to change at Harvey's look.

Harvey was incredibly close to walking in after him before stopping himself. He didn't need to tuck the kid in or read him a story.

Mike came back into the room, dressed in the pyjamas. "Uh... night," he said awkwardly, hovering in the doorway.

"Good night, kid," Harvey replied. "We're going into the office tomorrow, so make sure you get some sleep."

Mike rolled his eyes. "I will. Night," he went into the office, and it didn't escape Harvey that he left the door open as he turned the light off.

After a few hours, Harvey stood up and stretched, realising that he'd barely watched any TV when he'd been looking after Mike. He had relished the sports channel tonight. Not being able to help himself however, he found himself looking in on Mike. It had become routine - he had to check on the kid before he himself went to bed. He slowly peeked his head in, wanting to pull away because he _knew _it was ridiculous but he just couldn't _not _check in on the kid.

"Mike?" He said, confused. The younger man was lying on his back in the bed, his arms resting underneath his neck as he stared up at the ceiling. He jumped slightly and craned his head to look at Harvey.

"Hey," he said, tiredness evident from his voice.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Harvey asked him, not managing to keep the 'disapproving parent' tone out of it.

"Can't," Mike said simply. "It's weird. I'm... really tired. Like - missed nap time tired," he gave a small smile. "But I just... _can't _sleep."

Harvey's parental instincts (which he wouldn't admit to having) were screaming at him, and - never one to ignore his instincts - he left the room for a second before coming back in with a dog eared book. He sat on the bed and gave Mike a stern glance. "You tell anyone about this and I will give you to Louis so fast your head will spin, got it?" Mike nodded, tiredness making him slow. Harvey opened the book and looked at him. "You ready?"

Mike's brain finally caught up and he blushed slightly. "You don't need to... Harvey, I'm sure I can sleep if - "

"I asked if you were ready," Harvey said, raising an eyebrow.

A headache slowly making it's way into his brain, Mike nodded and hastily pushed himself to sit next to Harvey. He shyly nudged closer so that he could see the words and pictures. "This isn't going to work," Harvey muttered, standing. He gave Mike a reassuring smile as the younger man looked down, worried he'd annoyed Harvey in some way. "Lie back down," he instructed, and Mike did so, rolling onto his side to look into the room. Harvey sat on the edge of the bed next to Mike and placed the book in front of him, before moving his arm to go around Mike to hold the book at one side. "Ready now?" He asked. Mike nodded.

"Okay. _In the great green room there was a telephone. And a red balloon..._" Harvey paused, causing Mike to look up in confusion. "What, I have to do all the work now?" Harvey asked him, smirking. He turned the page, ready to read the next bit before Mike grabbed his hand, removing it from the page. He turned the page back, before turning it again. Harvey gave him an approving nod before starting again, waiting each time for Mike to turn the page.

He was only two pages towards the end when he realised Mike wasn't turning the pages any more. He glanced down and saw that Mike's breaths had evened out and his eyes were closed. He smirked and quickly hooked Mike's hand away from his mouth, as his thumb was creeping towards it.

"We're going to break you of this habit, kiddo," Harvey said softly but determinedly, standing up from his spot off the bed. He quickly found the teddy he had been told was called 'Harvey' and moved it towards the crook of Mike's neck. The younger man wrapped his arms around it and sighed, and Harvey saw he was slowly starting to chew the ear.

"I give up," he muttered, smiling. "Night, kid."

* * *

><p>"My mouth feels weird," is what Harvey got as a 'good morning' as he sat at the table reading a paper. "Was I sleeping with my mouth open last night?"<p>

"Nope, it had a teddy bear's ear inside it," Harvey answered, continuing to read his newspaper without looking up at Mike.

"Please tell me you're joking," Mike groaned.

"You want the pictures to prove it?" Harvey offered, stirring a cup of coffee that was still hot. Mike wasn't sure whether or not to believe him and decided to give up, sitting down opposite him at the table.

"So, what are we doing?" He asked. "Are we going to work?"

Harvey looked up, surveying him over his paper. "I suppose," he muttered. "Although not when you're dressed like that," he nodded towards the rumpled pyjamas.

"These are _silk_!" Mike argued. "They probably cost more than my suits! Can we at least go to mine before we go so I can grab some clothes?"

Harvey shrugged. "Sure you can dress yourself?"

"That was below the belt, Harvey," Mike grumbled, fidgeting in the seat. "I'm pretty sure," he replied to Harvey's comment sarcastically.

"Okay," Harvey said, making up his mind. "We'll go in, but _only - _" he stressed as Mike fist pumped victoriously, "only if you agree to do what I say. That means no complaining if I tell you to nap, no whining if Donna makes you drink something and no tantrums or it'll be the time-out corner. Clear?"

Mike stared at him before sighing and nodding. "I'm not _three_," he muttered angrily. "Any more," he quickly amended. "I can act like a grown up when I need to, surprisingly."

"Someone's cranky," Harvey observed, standing up and putting his jacket on.

"Oh, don't even," Mike glowered at him, standing up as well. "Let's just go," he started to search the pockets of the pyjamas before quickly realising that of course his keys wouldn't be in there. So instead, he glances up at Harvey. "Uh... what happened to my apartment keys?"

Harvey's face is just as blank as his is.

* * *

><p>After conning his way deviously into his own apartment - how he managed it whilst clad in just pyjamas he wasn't sure - he opened the door and thanked the landlord, waiting for him to leave before shuddering. "I <em>knew <em>I should have paid for my utilities earlier," he growled, rubbing at his arms. Harvey shook his head; he could see his _breath _it was that cold.

"I'm just going to change," Mike told him, walking into what Harvey presumed was his bedroom. When the door closed he took the opportunity to quickly snoop around the apartment.

Try as might, as he came up with thousands of pretences - he was a lawyer which meant he was naturally curious, he was interested in his associate's home life, he wanted to see what the kid did in what little spare time he was given - Harvey knew the real reason was simply; would Mike be able to look after himself?

The empty fridge - apart from some juice and half a cheesecake that Harvey quickly threw into the bin (it was over two weeks out of date!) - didn't exactly blast cold air to Harvey's face, and it didn't exactly strike in him the confidence that his associate would be able to live as soon as he left Harvey's.

Not that there was any rush...

"What are you doing?" Harvey turned to see Mike pulling a skinny tie around his neck, looking at him suspiciously.

"Just looking through your cupboards," Harvey said, shrugging as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Just checking to see if you can actually live."

"And?" Mike questioned, pulling the ends of his tie over one another. "How'd I do?"

Harvey opened the fridge and showed him how empty and warm it was. "I think this pretty much speaks for itself."

Mike shrugged. "I don't need much stuff in the fridge. I've got packets of those 'just add water' things. Which are probably out of date," he said, frowning as he thought to himself.

Harvey rolled his eyes and shut the fridge door. "If you actually want to move back into this death trap you call an apartment, I need to send Donna shopping."

"What?" Mike squawked, still attempting to tie his tie. "I'm capable of doing my own shopping!" He waited for a response from Harvey, but instead he simply had slightly larger, warmer hands moving around his, taking them off the tie so that he was having it tie for him. "And I'm capable of dressing myself too," he said lamely, watching as Harvey tied it in seconds.

"Yeah, it looks like it," Harvey said, raising an eyebrow. "Right," he continued, satisfied with the way Mike was wearing his tie, "now that you're properly dressed, we can go to work."

"Yes!" Mike said happily, offering his fist as a bump to Harvey. The other man raised his eyebrow and looked down at the fist. Mike's smile faded but he uncurled his hand and pulled away.

"Are you sure you're not still three?" Harvey asked mildly as they made their way back to the car.

"Pretty sure," Mike replied, getting into the vehicle. Ray still hadn't taken out the child seat and Mike was having a hard time removing it. "Dammit, did you weld this in or something?"

Harvey smirked. "Child safety. Can't have kids like you getting out of it or taking it out of the car, can we?"

"Very funny. Where am I supposed to sit?" He asked. Usually there was a middle seat in cars but apparently Harvey didn't appreciate that - he usually drove on his own; or with Mike, so there was no need for a third seat. When Harvey cocked his head towards the child seat, Mike snorted and slammed the car door, getting in the passenger seat next to Ray.

* * *

><p>He felt his face flushing as they walked through the building. Various co workers stared at him as if he had grown another head, and much to his dismay he found himself walking closer to Harvey, softly holding onto the elbow of his jacket as they passed people. He knew this must make it look worse than ever - nearly everyone knew what their mad scientist client had done to him, and had seen him in that state - but now he was normal, he was still acting like he had before.<p>

They finally reached the safety of Donna's desk and Mike beamed at her - the maternal actions she had been bestowing on him when he was smaller were now playing havoc with his emotions. What he wanted more than anything was to simply run at her and hug. Instead, he walked sedately with Harvey to her desk. The older man checked any mail for him with a muttered 'thanks' while Mike gave Donna a small, sheepish smile.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him, smiling back.

"I'm okay - a little tired and sore, but," he shrugged, "I'm glad to be back. Although _someone_ is acting like a worried parent most of the time," he sniped to Harvey, who took that moment to go into his office before Donna started her smug smile.

"Give him time," she said to Mike wisely. "I'm sure you're not used to it yet either. Now, go see what work you have to do - and just tell me if he tries to give you too much!" She told him. Mike grinned at her and went into Harvey's office.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked eagerly. He had missed work. Harvey looked at him for a moment before grabbing a singular file and passing it to him. Mike stared at it before looking back at Harvey. "Really?"

"What? I just need that doing. Now will you do it?" Harvey asked, waiting impatiently. Mike nodded and left.

"Softie," Donna sang down the intercom to him.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Ross," Gregory said, smirking at him. "Good to have you back. You potty-trained yet?"<p>

"Okay, I don't know about you, Gregory," Mike started saying as he sat down at his desk. "But at the age of 3 I was potty trained. So your 'insult' doesn't really make much sense on account of me already being potty-trained when I was small. Now are you done? Because I need to get this work finished," he opened the file and began skimming it.

Gregory closed his mouth, not really sure what to make of the response. He had been hoping for stammering and blushing - possibly tears. Tears would have been good. But right now Donna is walking through the associates' office to grab some faxes and Specter sometimes saunters through to check something with Jessica and Gregory is terrified of those two right now and so he just sits down and keeps his mouth shut.

After half an hour Mike had finished the work and was idly spinning his chair. His attention span had gone way down since turning back and he was fighting the urge to start playing with some paper clips. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. It could only have been 12 o clock at the latest and he was already feeling tired. His hand was cramping due to the writing he had been doing.

"Finished?" He glanced up to see Harvey stood in front of his desk, holding a bag.

"Uh, yeah - there wasn't much," Mike replied, cocking his head. "What's in the bag?"

"Lunch," Harvey said, holding it up. Mike looked around to realise that everyone had left for their break. "I thought if you didn't eat soon then there'd be tantrums," he smirked.

"Don't you mean that _Donna _thought if I didn't eat soon there'd be tantrums?" Mike asked. "Which, by the way, there won't be."

"Sure thing, kid," Harvey said, before putting the bag on the table and walking away. "Don't forget to eat your vegetables!"

* * *

><p>"Harvey, as pleased as I am that Mike is back with us," Louis said to him, causing Harvey to snort at this blatant lie. "You need to do something about him."<p>

"What are you talking about, Louis?" Harvey asked in a bored tone. He was flicking through a file that he would usually have Mike handle, but he just couldn't overload the kid with paperwork. And then he gave a shudder for even thinking with so much care.

"I mean the pissy attitude that he has!" Louis complained. "I gave him some folders to go through, just the Partington Briefs, no big deal, and - "

"Louis, the Partington Briefs are over 400 pages long," Harvey glared at him. "It's Mike's first day back at work."

"He told me to shove it up my ass," Louis told him in an angry, nasally voice.

Harvey smirked before becoming serious. Mike wasn't the type to directly refuse any of his superior's demands; and even when he did it, it was with niceness and politeness that Harvey hoped would be knocked out of him before he entered a real courtroom.

A sudden thought occurred to him and he checked his watch. He didn't let the concern show on his face in front of Louis, but it was now 4 o clock. If Mike was still working, and hadn't had a nap...

"Send him in," Harvey said, enjoying bossing Louis about, no matter how small the request. A look of slimy pleasure showed on Louis' face as he thought he was getting Mike into trouble. He hastily exited and Harvey leant back in his chair.

"Miss nap time?" Donna's voice came through the intercom. Harvey nodded, his chin resting on the tips of his fingers as he thought. He didn't know how to convince Mike to take a nap, especially not when he apparently had a 'pissy attitude'. He suddenly straightened. Yes he did. He'd looked after the kid for 2 weeks - he knew how to look after him. He hadn't done that bad a job before, surely?

"Louis said you wanted to see me?" Mike came into the office, and didn't miss Donna's look of worry shot at him from outside. Mike looked exhausted, even though he had only missed nap time by 2 hours. Harvey supposed that after the same routine, it must be painful to break it.

"Yes - he said you told him to shove some work up his ass?" Harvey questioned. Any other time he would have ended that statement with 'good boy', but he was more concerned with how Mike's mood was apparently worsening and spreading.

"So? I had a right to! He was piling all of the Partington Briefs on me! I could have been doing your work, but no, I now have to do Louis's, because apparently he's completely incompetent when it comes to either finding his own associate or doing his own work! And everyone else is getting pissy at _me _for getting pissy at Louis, so I'm _sick _of coping with those idiots who - I don't even know _how _they got into law! And now you're going to sit there and stare at me until I agree to go back to work like a good little minion, but it's harder than it looks to put up with the other associates _and _Louis combined, as well as getting you on top of it!"

Harvey raised an eyebrow at Mike's impressive rant. "Someone's cranky," he observed, knowing this would push Mike's buttons. He wanted to see just how tired the kid was.

"Okay, you know what? Screw you, Harvey," he spat, going for the door.

"Time out, ten minutes," Harvey said in a commanding voice. The hand that Mike had placed on the door handle didn't open it, and his whole body froze. He turned slowly. "Time's wasting, Mike - that stool, your ass, no talking, ten minutes," he repeated the same words he'd often said when giving small Mike punishments.

"But - "

"No arguments," Harvey said pointedly, before tapping his watch. "I'm waiting."

"But, Harvey I don't want a time out!" Mike wailed - although he would deny, but both Harvey and Donna could confirm it was most definitely a wail.

"Should've thought of that before you decided to skip napping and become the world's most cranky kid," Harvey said, now flicking through his file once more. Mike moved slightly more into the room but didn't go toward the stool. He stared at Harvey, fighting the urge to cry. "I don't hear a remorseful ass sitting down," Harvey noted. He kept his gaze on the file but then heard movement and soon heard Mike sitting down. He glanced up and saw his associate sitting on the stool with his back to the room, his arms curled round himself and small sniffs.

The kid really needed a nap.

The ten minutes seemed an agonising time to wait but eventually Harvey's watch hands hit and he glanced over to the stool. "I hope that attitude is gone," he said, watching as Mike slowly turned to face him, still with his arms around himself and with red eyes that could either be from tiredness or crying. Possibly from both.

"Sorry," Mike mumbled, looking down at his lap. He rubbed at his eyes quickly, looking for all the world like an exhausted toddler; the parental feelings that Harvey _didn't _possess made him stand up and go over to the younger man, ignoring the fact that Donna was watching from outside. Mike looked up at him with eyes glazed over with tears. "Sorry, Harvey."

Harvey crouched slightly so that he was still just taller than Mike. The kid quickly rested his head on the older man's shoulder, and Harvey found himself drawing his arms around Mike, rubbing his back as he felt what seemed like tears drip onto his shoulder.

"C'mon," Harvey said softly. "Nap time," he was glad when Mike didn't protest, and helped him stand up; getting him over to the couch and lying down in a minute. Mike grabbed a cushion and pulled it close to him, making Harvey remember that he needed to bring that cushion from his apartment that Mike liked. He stayed crouching next to the couch with his hand on Mike's shoulder until the kid was fully asleep before shaking his head.

He really needed to stop acting like a parent.

* * *

><p>It was three days after Mike had changed back and he was now insisting on going to his own apartment. Harvey now knew what the 'flown the nest' feeling was like, as he drove in silence to Mike's place, bringing with him the few toys the kid had suddenly possessed in the two weeks. He was taking them to tease Mike. Really.<p>

When he knocked, Mike answered, smiling at him. "Hi, Harvey - what are you doing?"

"Happy house-warming," Harvey said sarcastically, passing him both Harvey-bear and Harvey the sea lion. Mike blushed as he held the two toys.

"Uh... thanks. You want to come in?" As much as Harvey wanted to - he wanted to be nosy and see what the kid was eating, how clean his flat was, if he was sleeping alright - he couldn't. He had a big meeting with a client that he didn't really want Mike involved in - it was a tricky case that the kid wasn't ready for.

"Nope, I just stopped by because these were cluttering my apartment," Harvey told him, a wry grin on his face.

"Oh, okay... Uh - you can come by later, if you want?" Mike asked, trying desperately to sound casual but knowing he just came off as needy.

Harvey smiled at him. "I'll come by tonight."

If Donna knew that Mike was still having trouble sleeping, she might have called a doctor. All Harvey did was read him a story.

* * *

><p>It was now two days after Mike had left his apartment, and Harvey was growing concerned about the kid.<p>

"Mike, have you got that file that I..." Harvey tailed off as he looked at his associate. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and his pale face told Harvey that he was either ill or not sleeping well. "You okay?" He asked. He would have tried to display nonchalance but it was late and no one else was there, and he was frankly sick of pretending not to care after spending the last 2 weeks looking after Mike.

Mike shrugged. "Few late nights. I guess it's a good thing you still enforce nap-time," he gave a small smile.

"I guess it is," Harvey replied. "Maybe you should go home now. I've got this."

Mike frowned. "I don't mind staying - one more late night isn't going to kill me."

"Well then I might," Harvey told him sternly. "Go home and sleep. I don't want an associate who wouldn't look out of place with the Adams Family."

Mike frowned again. "Can't I stay here? Please?"

Harvey tilted his head slightly. "Why?"

Mike shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, blushing slightly. "It sounds really stupid, but - "

"You need to call me again?" Harvey asked. For the past two nights he would get a call from Mike that went along the lines of,_ I can't sleep, read me a story_.

"Uh... no, not really. Calling doesn't really do much. It's more of a uh... physical thing..."

Oh god, Harvey did _not_ want to get into the bedwetting problems that sometimes occurred now. "Oh?" He said, focussing extremely hard on the file in front of him.

"Uh, yeah... See, I keep thinking - and this is going to sound weird, but for the last few nights I've been hearing... that is, I think there's..."

"Spit it out, Mike," Harvey said; now feeling confident that it wasn't about bedwetting.

"I keep thinking there are monsters under my bed," Mike said quickly, in a rush that Harvey could only just catch.

Harvey wasn't sure if he had adopted a smirk or a _say whaaatt _face, but he assumed it was a mixture of both, as Mike blushed more and turned away, folding his arms. "It's not funny," he grumbled. "I can't help it - and I can't sleep cause I swear to god my socks have been going missing, and I'm pretty sure my foot was nibbled last night."

Harvey was now laughing hard, but stood up and placed a hand on Mike's shoulder as the kid attempted to leave with at least some dignity. "You want me to come round tonight and wave a bat under your bed?"

"Don't mock me," Mike muttered.

"I'm serious," Harvey told him. "I'll come back with you and check, okay? But if I get eaten," he said over his shoulder as he walked back to his desk, "you can rest assured you'll get one hell of a law suit."

* * *

><p>It was only a day after this occurred and Harvey was growing slightly more concerned.<p>

As usual, Harvey had been keeping a relatively close eye on his associate over the past few days. Whenever Mike came in Harvey instinctively knew that something was wrong. Whether it was like the other day when he had admitted that he hadn't been getting any sleep because, "I swear, Harvey; you can laugh all you like - but there is something under my bed!" or yesterday, when he hadn't been drinking anything because, "Donna must have added something to that juice because I need to be weaned off it or something!"

Things that Harvey had been addressing - if only to stop his associate looking tired or pale. Like going round his place at 2 in the morning just to wave a bat under the bed to prove that there was nothing there, or having Mike open his desk drawer to find a mountain of juice cartons waiting.

Harvey could now officially say that he was very much in tune with Mike.

But when he saw his associate wander in - thankfully looking quite well rested (the occasional night-time call was needed if Mike's crappy wiring broke and the lights went out or if Mike couldn't sleep and Harvey really needed him sharp for court the next morning so what else could he do but read him a story?) - something was amiss.

Harvey wasn't sure what it was, but when it finally got to half 9 and the kid was ready to collapse - Harvey had been lax about nap time when Donna was away - he noticed.

Mike's hair.

It lay limp and lifeless on his head, and Harvey was sure washed hair never looked like that. He had a sudden flashback to a sullen toddler who pouted and moaned and whined when it came to bath time and smirked. Although these things leftover were serious and Harvey wasn't sure if they would ever go - they were also quite funny.

"It's late," Harvey said, closing files and placing some in his briefcase to take back. Mike seemed to agree and stretched as he stood up, rubbing at his eyes in a not-quite-toddler-but-not-quite-man type way.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Mike mumbled, picking up some folders of his own.

"Don't bother," Harvey said. "I'm not having you bike out when you're ready to pass out. I need those files," he nodded to the ones in Mike's hands. He could still flawlessly pull off the not caring thing, he thought, even as Mike raised an eyebrow.

When they got to Harvey's condo, Mike looked ready to camp out on the spare bed that was still in the office. Harvey grabbed hold of his shoulder before he went anywhere. "You should take a shower before you sleep," he said. "We probably won't have time in the morning."

Mike groaned but nodded, walking into the bathroom, turning just in time to catch the towel flung at him, followed by some old sleep pants and t-shirt. He muttered his thanks and Harvey heard the shower start. He shook his head, wondering how he got into this position but decided not to question it.

He had lied to Mike earlier - they would have plenty of time to get ready in the morning, but Harvey wanted to see if Mike genuinely still didn't like his hair being washed or if he had just been too rushed to do it the past few days. At least Harvey could attempt to do something about it if Mike didn't wash it tonight.

So Harvey wasn't surprised when Mike came out - his skin damp and with Harvey's old clothes on; but with dry, lank hair.

"Turn around," Harvey said, taking the towel back off Mike.

"Uh... What?" Mike asked, too tired to be any more fluent.

"Go back in the bathroom," Harvey told him, grabbing a new towel. Mike frowned but simply walked back in, rubbing at his eyes again. This time he managed to pull off the toddler look quite well. "Sit down with your back against the bath," Harvey told him, the look on his face daring him to argue. Mike slowly sat down, resting against the bath tiredly.

"Close your eyes," Harvey said softly, pulling the extendible shower head away from the bath and turning it on, letting it get warm before slowly rinsing Mike's hair.

The younger man immediately tensed. "What are you doing?" He asked in a nervous way.

"Stopping Donna from giving you to a thrift store," Harvey muttered, perching on the side of the bath as he gently pushed Mike's forehead so his head was more over the bath. He quickly got all of Mike's hair wet before picking up his shampoo and getting it on his hands.

"Harvey, you don't... I can - "

"No, Mike, you can't. You haven't washed your hair for days. Probably not even since you went back to normal. I get it," he said, seeing Mike close his eyes shut - whether it was from embarrassment or because he didn't want shampoo in his eyes, Harvey didn't know. "You still don't like people touching your hair, or even washing it yourself. But it has to get done, and if I'm the one who has to do it, then so be it."

He gently massaged Mike's scalp before deciding to rinse it out. "Close your eyes," he instructed and Mike hastily did so, going so far as to cover them with his hands. Harvey smirked at this familiar gesture and started washing the shampoo out. Mike started flinching and tensing, turning away slightly - something he probably wasn't even aware of.

"Okay," Harvey said softly - perhaps even too softly for Mike's ears. "I know... I know... Nearly done..." The old mantra started up again, and he finally did finish, grabbing the towel and quickly rubbing at his associate's head. "Now was that as bad as you thought?" He asked, helping Mike to stand. The kid swayed in a tired daze for a second before shaking his head.

"Thanks, Harvey," he mumbled, realising Harvey was guiding him towards the office/bedroom. "I mean it."

"I know, Mike," Harvey replied. "I know."

* * *

><p>It was now three days since Mike had left Harvey's apartment, and although things were getting better, there were still some odd moments.<p>

"Ahh! Ow, shit, shit, shit!" Mike screwed his eyes shut for a moment in pan and ignored the well of tears that were SO much easier to ignore now he was normal again. He yanked his hand away from the stapler on his desk and glared at it, putting all of his emotion into hoping it would set on fire as he glared.

It was late - about half past 11 at night, and everyone had gone home. Any janitors were gone - even Louis had just left. But Harvey had a big case, and Mike didn't feel comfortable leaving the office until Harvey said he could. So that was why he was sat in Harvey's office, quickly stapling some documents together for Harvey to read when he came back from the bathroom. He was sure he had found some loopholes in a contract, and in his haste and excitement had stapled his thumb and given himself a paper cut. On the same thumb.

Hence the yelled profanities.

He was just yanking the staple out of his thumb and sucking at the injury as anyone would; under the impression that it would somehow help - when Harvey walked in.

He raised an eyebrow. "And here I was thinking that you were out of the thumb-sucking stage," he quipped, holding out his hand. The stapled documents were placed there and he frowned. "I meant that I wanted to see your thumb, Mike - I heard you yell from down the hall. What did you do?"

Sheepishly, Mike took the file and showed Harvey his injury in a clumsy thumbs-up. "It's fine. I just stapled myself," he then scowled at the pin-pricks of blood and stuck it back in his mouth, hoping to stem the minute stream of blood.

Harvey chuckled. "Whatever, kid. Admit it - you still find it comforting."

Mike frowned at Harvey's laughter. In all honesty - and he would never tell Harvey this - he did still find it comforting. There was something soothing about the constant rhythm and warmth he gained from it. Not that he made a habit of doing it frequently. But having done it every night for the past 2 weeks, it was a hard habit to break when he was tired and falling asleep; barely in control of his own limbs. He had once sneakily started to suck it before he was at that stage of tiredness - lying in his bed, trying to sleep and finding that it did wonders for stress levels.

"It just hurts," Mike told him firmly. "And I'm trying not to bleed all over your case."

"I can find you a band-aid..." Harvey offered, his head cocked to one side.

"No, it's fine," Mike said hurriedly. He didn't want to say that sucking on it made him forget about the pain and stopped the tears that had come near to the surface, but he realised he had no actual reason for continuing to suck on it.

"Maybe you should lie down for a while," Harvey said in a soft voice, making Mike look up at him. He then realised that as he was deliberating what to do with his thumb, it was still in his mouth. And he found he didn't really have the strength to take it out.

"'M'not tired," Mike told him, talking around the thumb. It would be embarrassing if he wasn't being so soothed. He felt like he had when he was high...

"Sure, Mike," Harvey humoured him. "My mistake - kids suck their thumbs when they're wide awake, not tired. My bad."

Mike tried to glare at him; he wanted to say he wasn't a kid, he wasn't tired - he wasn't sucking his thumb! But he found that his eyes were drooping ever so slightly with lazy pleasure and he gave a clumsy smile up to Harvey to show that he wasn't being soothed by sucking his thumb but he totally was. Could he convey that all in a smile?

"Alright - bed time," Harvey said, guiding him to the couch, moving files out of the way. "You know if these things don't stop in about a week I'm taking you to a professional," Harvey told him. In the first few days when Mike was still staying with him after he turned back, he had still encountered tantrums; cuddles; a small, embarrassing-but-not-really bedtime story and Mike was having small aches and pains here and there. And now there was this.

Harvey was worried that he wasn't worried enough.

It was more like an adjustment period for him. He smirked when he saw Mike curled up on the couch, sucking his thumb and completely asleep. All that was missing was the teddy bear.

It was a good thing that Donna wasn't there, otherwise he knew that there would be some sort of remark about Harvey himself being a teddy bear, and he might have had to shoot himself if he ever heard a statement like that. Mike made a small noise and shuddered, causing Harvey to instinctively start running his hand through Mike's hair to soothe him. This made Mike nuzzle his face into the palm of Harvey's hand, causing a smile to grace the older man's lips.

Damn.

He _was_ a teddy bear.

* * *

><p>It was now officially a week after Mike had turned back, and he and Harvey had been working on a heavy case that had both of them angry. Their client was a wealthy businessman, who his wife was suing for allegedly harming their son. As soon as Harvey took on the case he wanted to hate the guy, but he soon believed the man when he said he loved their son - he would never lay a finger on him.<p>

But pictures the prosecution had sent showed bruises all over the small child's stomach and back, and Harvey found that his hands were shaking as he looked at them. All he could imagine was the toddler he had looked after with a singular bruise. It hurt to even imagine that. But they had a lot of things going for them - the wife's reasoning behind suing rather than trying to gain custody; she simply wanted money, and Harvey knew he could get that out of her. They also had the boy's testimony to come, and Harvey was pretty sure the kid - whilst confused; would deny his dad hurting him.

They had gone to court, the case had gone well - it had turned on its back completely when Harvey finally got the mother into a corner with his words and she admitted that _she _had hurt the son and the kid was tearfully reunited with his father, whilst the mother was sentenced to quite a few years.

It wasn't until they had said goodbye to their client and were in the car that both lawyers let their feelings show. Mike slid down in his seat, rubbing at his eyes tiredly, breathing out slowly, whilst Harvey watched him, wondering what he would do if someone hurt Mike.

"Ray, just take us to my place, would you?" Harvey asked, ignoring Mike's questioning glance.

When they got there, Harvey slumped on the couch, running his hands down his face. Mike sat on the other side of the furniture, pulling his feet up to underneath him. "Are you okay?" Mike asked quietly.

Harvey blew out a sigh. "Fine," he said. "We got an abusive parent put away. The kid gets to live with his dad - everyone wins," he spat. If Mike was philosophical or read into deeper meanings, he might have been able to see what was causing the acidity in that statement.

"Yeah, everyone wins," Mike repeated, shuffling just a bit. "And that kid is now going to be happy with his dad for the rest of his life," he pointed out. Harvey looked over to him before nodding, turning back towards the windows he was staring out of.

Suddenly, Harvey felt what seemed like an octopus grip hold of him. He turned to find that Mike had shuffled down the couch and had planted himself on Harvey. "What are you doing?" Harvey asked, not being able to stop himself from moving his arm to wrap around Mike.

"Hugs lower stress levels," Mike informed him. "You're stressed. I'm stressed. So..." he clung on tighter, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt himself nuzzle into Harvey's neck. The older man rested his cheek on Mike's hair as he thought to himself.

"Are you okay?" He asked Mike softly. Mike nodded and tried to wrap himself around Harvey more than the lawyer thought possible. He then decided that he wasn't close enough, apparently, and moved more. Harvey was loathe to move him, but was also very much aware that Mike was practically sat on his lap. He kept his face hidden in Harvey's neck and seemed to almost purr and become boneless as soon as Harvey rubbed his back slightly.

Damn; in the past few days it seemed as though the kid was completely starved of affection.

"I've missed this," Mike murmured, the stress from the case clearly taking its toll as he started spouting his innermost emotions. "I've needed this," he whispered.

Harvey ruffled his hair slightly in the pause, before:

"Me too."

* * *

><p><em>"Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up - could still be little. Oh, I don't wanna grow up wish I'd never grown up, things could still be simple..."<em>

* * *

><p><strong>The End...?<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>AN Yes, it's over :( And long. Nearly 12,000 words :O But never fear - _CuppaChar _is going to write a sort of spin-off in which she explores more of the side effects I've described for Mike. Thank you so much for reading and if you can review this last chapter even if you've never done before it would be appreciated so very much :) **

**Also... I wonder what that question mark was for? ;)**


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